In a land of shadows
by Nuredhel
Summary: Sequel to Hearts of fire souls of ice: Time: The fourth age. Worlds: Valinor/aman, Earth. Romance/horror/drama/angst/supernatural. Lots of characters from silmarillion/hobbit/Lotr. Thranduils feral daughter Ravenne is suddenly thrown into a nightmare of a situation when Valinor and Earth are attacked by monsters from a strange New world. Can she trust herself? Rated M, no slash.
1. Most cruel of fates

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these characters except my own ones. This is written simply because my mad muse has taken over my brain and I am helpless to fight it

This is a sequel to my story _Hearts of Fire souls of ice_, and it may be confusing for anyone who hasn't read that so it is a good idea to read that first.

**Rating**: **M** due to violence, mature themes, sex and gory details.

**Characters from the prequel: **

**Nireariel**: Thranduil's wife, she is an albino carrying a curse and a blessing. She is carrying a piece of the very song of creation and is a very powerful healer, she can if need be save a dying person by offering death another person instead but it is a most terrible choice to make.

**Astarion**: Son of Nireariel and Thranduil: He is married to Lindelle and has four children, has inherited his mother's ability to heal others and also the song of creation.

**Raina**: Astarion's sister: Married but no children yet, husband Rocarion. She is also a healer and carries the song too.

**Ravenne**: Main character of this story, Sister to Raina and Astarion, they are triplets but not identical. Ravenne is a weird one, she is carrying the curses Raina and Astarion should have had, there is always two curses following the song of creation, one of the flesh and one of the soul. She has the power to kill by her will alone and it is a terrible gift/curse.

**Astar**: Nireariel's father.

**Cunarin**.: Thranduil's brother who died before Thranduil was even born. He was his father's favorite and Oropher turned his memory into something the ellon never was and thus Thranduil never managed to get his father's trust nor love or approval. Cunarin died very young and under suspicious circumstances.

**Meldariel**: Orophers wife, Thranduil's mother.

**Morilinde**: Legolas wife of a once hidden tribe of Avari elves, he saved her life when he lived in Ithilien and she is a wild one. No living children yet.

_Short summary of the story prequel to this_: Thranduil loses his wife whom he never loved, after a long time he meets Nireariel and knows she is his one, they have to fight many problems to have each other. They want children but it takes a long time before they have any luck. When Nireariel finally becomes pregnant she is expecting twins. But there are three babies, not two and the last born is born with the curses her siblings should have had. She is the huntress, the lioness.

Some years later Nireariel gets pregnant again but it goes wrong and Ravenne kills the baby in its mother's womb to save Nireariel, Nireariel get so weak and depressed Thranduil decides to sail to the blessed realm to save her and to prevent his daughter from becoming a monster. The question is if he involuntarily has stepped from the ashes and into the fire

**Chapter one: Most cruel of fates**

They say the worst feeling

Is the longing for what's just out of reach

What your heart desires, for what you yearn

Yet cannot have or hold

Is it in truth better to have loved and lost

Then to never have loved at all?

She was circling her opponent slowly, the tips of her swords almost touching the ground as she never even once averted her glance from his. She was breathing hard and sweat was covering her skin, they had been sparring for several hours and she felt how the excitement and mixed eagerness and concentration made her feel more alive than for a long time. She awaited his next move, you could never know how he would attack and that unpredictability was one of the reasons why he was regarded as one of the best swordsmen ever. But she beat him six times out of ten and she was proud of it. Suddenly he was moving, the blade of his long slender sword came towards her slender neck at a terrifying speed and she hissed and blocked it with her shorter slim blade, she spun out of reach and engaged in an attack of her own. The clashing of steel against steel and the sound of their boots against the dusty ground of the sparring arena was all the sound to be heard.

The speed of their swordplay was impressive, none of them stood still for even a second and she knew that this would have been impossible for everybody else. It would have been too dangerous and even an elf dies of a sword blade through the heart. But they knew each other well and had absolute control, they were in no real danger. She saw her chance and took it, for a short second his left side was unprotected and she nicked the leather of his tunic almost gently, if she had wanted to she could have pierced his chest completely. He sighed and bowed his head. "You got me again!"

She grinned and bowed back. "Yes I did, is this the fifth time in a row ada?"

He sighed and smiled, put his sword back into the sheath. "More like the seventh I think, you are outdoing your old adar, I am proud of you penneth."

She could only smile but she felt a bit sad. There were still things she never would learn, things and tricks he had learned the hard way. Here there were no wars, no dangers at all. She had nothing she could use to perfect her skills and why should she? She sighed and placed her blades in a rack by the entrance, she was the only one who used this place and she felt like an outcast at times. He shook the sweat out of his long silvery blond hair and sent her a wry grin. "I thank you daughter, fighting you like that makes me feel quite alive once more."

She had to laugh. "Me too ada, I get bored without a little sparring every now and then."

He sent her a glance from the corner of his eye. "So, when are you to return?"

She braided her long white hair again, tried to look less like some wild thing and more like a lady, she knew that her mother didn't approve of anything else. "The day after tomorrow, I am sorry but I can't stay any longer."

He sighed and nodded. "I know, but it is so darn hard to watch you go again, we miss you."

She squirmed. "Ada, it is alright, I am safe. There is no danger, I can take care of myself."

He sighed once more. "That is exactly what I am worried about. You spend so much time by yourself, it is not healthy, not for a young lady like yourself."

They walked up the stairs towards the entrance of the palace and she sighed and leaned towards a pillar, dried sweat from her brow. "Ada, you know me, I have no choice."

He looked her deep into the eyes. "Yes, I know you and yet I still have hope. Your siblings are doing so well and…"

She shook her head. "Are they really? Legolas is still struggling with the things he has been through, he won't admit to it but he is suffering. And Raina, how many times has she been disappointed and heartbroken by now, ten?"

He winced, his eyes were filled with hurt. "Don't say it penneth, I know what I did and why. I had to save your mother and the old world had nothing left to offer us. The time of men had begun, we would have faded away into the shadows had we stayed."

She took a deep breath. "Maybe that would have been for the better, but then again, the old world has changed so much and became a new world, at least for a few of us."

He nodded. "I wish I could have gone with you, explored. But your mother would have killed me if I even suggested that for her."

She had to laugh. "Yes, naneth would go ballistic."

She pulled at the hem of her leather tunic. "I will take a bath ada, do I see you at dinner?"

He nodded. "Of course Ravenne, we will all be there."

She bowed her head and ran off, a bath and some clean clothes were all she needed to feel good once more.

The bathroom was huge and luxurious and they had drilled down into underground hot springs, it was even better than the baths back in the old palace. She closed her eyes and tried to remember how it all had been but she found that she couldn't. She had been barely more than a child when they had sailed west and to her this home of her birth had become little more than a fading memory. To her parents and older brother it was a source of great pain and grief, they were missing their old life and old ways. She went into the water and had to think about the centuries past, she had lost track of how many ennin had passed since they arrived there in Aman. It was too a memory she had problems grasping onto. Everything had changed so fast and she remembered how they had settled down in a city along the coast. She had been quite intrigued by the new land at first, then she got incredibly bored. Nothing happened there, it was just too freaking perfect. Yes, her mother healed and they met relatives who had sailed or passed away but it did not ease the fact that Ravenne was bored.

After a couple centuries her ada had had enough of this, the inland was vast and much of it unexplored. He sent people out and after some decades they found the right place. A mountain valley surrounded by forest, a huge hill in the middle of it. And so began a long and tedious work, he had made the drawings himself and they were amazing. Slowly the hill was transformed into a copy of not only the old palace of Mirkwood but also of his home in Lindon, of the lost palace of Amon Lanc and also the one at Emyn Duir. Suddenly her father had something to do and he was once more filled with vigor and his eyes were shining as he made planes and helped out with the work itself. He was breaking rocks and felling trees and Ravenne saw why her mother had fallen in love with him. He was stunning and she felt how the old sadness settled itself within her heart once more. It took more than three centuries before the palace was finished but time was everything they had and the finished result stunning.

And slowly there was change, a change invisible from one day to the next but over the decades it became evident. More and more elves moved into the area, most of silvan origin and after yet a couple of centuries it became rather evident to everybody that the old kingdom of Greenwood was resurrected. Her father was once more a king and this time to a huge population of forest elves, and they did little to remain in contact with the rest of the continent. They had everything they needed there in the forests of Orome and the rest of Aman did not bother them. It was a different world.

Ravenne had been helping out with the work but her strange nature had become more evident over the years, the curse she carried had become rather obvious to her and she started to shun all others, even her family.

It had dawned on her when they reached Aman, she was a very beautiful young elleth and some said that she was even more so than her mother. She had seen how her body changed and she was waiting to meet her one, to find her true mate. Her gentle and soft sister met her one soon after they arrived, a young scribe just as mellow as herself and they were such a perfect match. Astarion also met his one and got married and he had four children and he was very happy. Raina had problems on the other hand, she wanted children but she had miscarried ten times, she got halfway through her pregnancy, then she lost the baby and she had become rather weird because of it. But she had found her one and Ravenne had hoped so hard that she too would have that blessing.

As all youngsters did she too flirted and tried the more innocent types of intimacy but she soon discovered something which frightened her. She felt nothing! She heard the other ellith giggle and tell each other how they felt when some handsome ellon kissed them and Ravenne let some ellyn she liked kiss her and it felt just as if her brother did it. There was no spark, no desire at all. She tried touching herself too but nothing happened. She became confused and thought that maybe she was one of those ellith who preferred her own gender but no, she did not get turned on by other females either. Her mother had explained about the curses she carried, the ones her siblings should have had. She told her daughter that there always was one curse for the flesh and one for the soul. Nireariel was cursed with her albinism and with the power which meant that she could save someone who was dying but then someone else had to die in their place.

Ravenne knew of her soul curse, she could kill by her will alone and it was her greatest fear to lose control and maybe kill someone by mistake. This had to be her curse for the flesh and she tried desperately to see if it was so or if she just was a little slow to develop physically. She let one young ellon she liked claim her maidenhood behind the stables on a warm summer day. She had hoped that she perhaps would be normal as soon as she wasn't a maiden any longer but no. It hurt like hell, and she immediately regretted it but she felt not even the slightest touch of pleasure or lust. It became almost a habit of hers, to get ellyn to bed her just to see if they could awaken something in her which resembled the passion she could see blooming between her parents.

She spied on other couples while they were at it and she felt nothing even then. She could as might as well have watched paint dry!

And so she slowly accepted that her fate was to never feel love. She did love her family fiercely but she was incapable of loving anyone else. It felt painful, and she started to seek her own company more than that of others. It hurt her parents but she was unable to tell them of this. It was embarrassing and it would make them so sad on her behalf. She did not want to cause them pain. Then she followed her father back to the coast on a trip to secure a trading contract with the merchants. She had been sparring against one of her father's guards when a stranger had approached her. She had recognized him instantly and he had been a hero to her for as long as she could remember. Everybody regarded him as the best warrior ever, no one else had ever managed to kill a balrog and she was in awe of him. They had sparred and he won, but only by a little and so they met every day for the duration of her father's stay there and sparred. He was impressed by her, she did in fact win a few times and not because he let her, she felt proud because of this.

Then things changed, he started to treat her in a different way and she soon realized that he found her attractive, that he wanted her. The idea of him wishing to lay with her should have made her ecstatic with joy but it did not make her feel anything.

She let him have her one night just before she had to return back home. They had been in his rooms and he had whispered tender words to her, caressed her and told her how beautiful she was and how honored he was by her trust. She had felt nothing, it was not that she was insensitive, she did feel him in her, felt how he moved and how he finally released his seed into her but there was no pleasure. Normally she would have at least pretended to enjoy it but she knew that he was too experienced to fall for that trick. It confused him and she could see that clearly, he was used to giving his partners as much pleasure as he could and she didn't react to anything he was doing. She didn't mention her curse, she did not want to explain that to him and he had lain there holding her close and caressing her gently until they both fell asleep.

In the middle of the night she had woken up, he was tossing around in his sleep, whimpering and moaning covered in sweat and it was not hard to understand that he was having what had to be the mother of all nightmares. She remembered what her mother once had told her, strong men don't gain their strength for free, there is always a price to pay and she suspected that his past had left him emotionally scarred. He was terrified and when she grasped him and shook him awake he had sought her body once more, almost desperately. She had understood that he tried to forget the images within his mind, that he sought a way to hide from himself. He was barely conscious and his eyes were black and frightened.

This time he did make her scream but not in pleasure, he was beyond conscious thought and he was rough with her, she had never thought that it could hurt like that but he thrust into her with such force she realized how a kick to the nether regions had to feel for a male, she tried to make him stop but he did not react at all, and he was far too heavy and strong for her to push away. She felt tears running down her cheeks and had to bite her lip not to scream out loud. She did understand him, but she felt so darn helpless. When he finished with a roar and collapsed on top of her she felt only relief, it was over. He just laid there gasping and then he came to his senses and realized what he had done and his despair was terrible to behold. He almost begged her to take his dagger and end him, he did not deserve anything better than that. He had taken her by force and the penalty for rape among their people was death, although it was a crime almost unheard of.

Ravenne was hurting still, she was sore and her lower belly was aching like crazy but she tried to ease his mind, take away some of the guilt. He had not been himself and she did forgive him but she knew that he couldn't forgive himself. He had abused her trust and her body and to him that was enough to cause a serious depression. She sat there for a long time just holding him and she knew that they had some things in common, both had problems of which the world were oblivious. She had made him swear not to do anything stupid like trying to end his own life or telling anyone, she did not want to explain this to her parents. She remembered how gentle he had been earlier in the evening and knew that it had been his real self. The wild thing that had hurt her had been the ghost of the horrors of his past, it hadn't been him. He had calmed down and she had hidden her feelings well, he hadn't realized how much pain she was in. She knew that she should have seen a healer but she couldn't, any healer would immediately suspect foul play and nobody would probably believe her if she tried to claim that she liked it rough. She was bleeding and covered with bruises and knew that she had been physically injured, but she did not really care any longer. She made herself a solemn vow that she never again would let anyone get near her in this way, it was no point in even trying.

She left his room just before sunrise and she had embraced him and told him again that she forgave him for what he had done, he had cried and she felt so weird. She had discovered a strength within herself she hadn't been aware of before and she had seen that even the strongest of heroes may be haunted by the memories of the past. She could have told anyone and there would have been hell for sure but it would have affected them both. They both swore to keep this between themselves and never mention this night again and Ravenne had at least learned a few new things about herself. Her vow to herself would be as adamant as the foundations of the earth, she would never let anyone touch her again.

She still remembered how beautiful he had been, how gentle and caring and she had cried when she returned to her own room. Her destiny was to never know what love was and it was the cruelest of fates.

She had stopped to even speak to those outside of the family and she spent more and more time in the forests. Only there did she feel at home, only there did she feel as if she belonged. She would hunt and fend for herself and her trips became longer and longer. She was gone for weeks, then for months and in the end she would be gone for whole years and her family was left in ever increasing unease and worry.

When she returned she was getting harder and harder to recognize. Her parents remembered what the old fortuneteller had told them on her naming day and they felt how their hearts filled with dread. Her body changed a lot, she was already tall, almost as tall as her father but now she became muscular and lean like a panther. Her skin darkened and her eyes too, they were a deep golden color now, almost like molten gold and her pupils had become the vertical slits of a cat's eyes. Her face was still unbelievably beautiful but a bit haunted and almost alien in a way. Her thick white hair a tangled mass and she was skinny and looked almost gaunt. She had gone feral and the avari who never had wanted to leave middle earth could tell of some of their own kin who had taken that path in the past. They forgot they were elves and became little more than animals, Nireariel feared that their daughter would be lost to them, she was always so worried. Ravenne was probably the most deadly warrior anybody could imagine and this world had few dangers but a mother's heart is always thinking the worse.

One evening Nireariel had entered her daughter's room, just by a hunch. Ravenne had been gone for a year and a half and Nireariel had almost screamed when she saw the creature crouching by the window. Her daughter had looked like something out of a nightmare, just skin and bones and muscle, tangled hair and wild glowing eyes which reflected the light in a very eerie way. She had managed to keep calm and greeted her and Ravenne had gotten onto her feet, moved through the room with a grace and smoothness that was unnatural even for an elf. She never took her eyes off her mother and Nireariel discovered much to her horror that Ravenne had forgotten how to speak! Something had to be done or their precious child would become a forest creature, a monster of the fairytales. Thranduil had tried to talk to her but to no prevail, his daughters wild eyes and flaring temper frightened him like nothing else he had ever encountered. Nireariel tried a more gentle approach and slowly she managed to get Ravenne's trust once more. Ravenne told her everything, she did not try to hide any of her problems and Nireariel was heartbroken. She could hardly believe that the gods could be this heartless but it was true. Her beautiful daughter was probably going to spend her life alone and it was with a heavy heart she told the rest of the family of this sad truth.

Ravenne refused to speak of it again and it became a silent agreement between the members of the family that nobody spoke of this with Ravenne present. It hurt them all but they had their own lives to think about and Ravenne had always been special. She spent her days in the woods and was thus content and they never tried to make her change her ways, it would not have been a success anyhow. She was as stubborn as her father and her mind would never veer of course when she had made herself a goal.

Then everything changed and the change was immense, one that had huge effects on everything. The wizards discovered dimensional gates which allowed travel between the blessed realm and the world of men. First only a few dared to cross over and they returned and told of a world which had become so different it was hard to believe. Technology and science ruled and the humans were wreaking havoc on the environment. They were in shock to see what had happen to the Arda they had known and even though they wanted to explore it was deemed as very dangerous. Only a few were allowed to enter earth and slowly they brought back information and new knowledge. Over the decades the travelers became many and a few colonies were established. Most of those who chose to cross over were young elves but also some old ones who missed Arda and the dangers and the vigorous rhythm of its life.

Then the world in between was discovered and it was a shock because this was a world of which nothing had been known. It was an entirely alien territory and it was as if a dimensional pocket had been slid in between Aman and what had been middle earth. It was a vast land and it was a land where the shadows ruled because it was as Arda had been in the first parts of its life. There was no sun or moon, only the stars lit the nights and it was a wild and fierce place filled with mysteries and dangers. The elves who dared to enter this realm were shocked to discover that it had inhabitants, also elves. It was as if this was a copy of Arda left by Eru just after the awakening of the first born.

The people who populated this realm which was called Lithui(Ash) by its inhabitants were nothing like the elves of Arda. Yes they were of the same race but they had evolved in a very different direction both when it came to physiology and culture. The first encounters were tense and difficult due to a language barrier it proved to be hard to overcome and the Ce'agar as they called themselves were suspicious and very hesitant to trust strangers.

They were tall, much taller than an ordinary elf and more muscular too. Their eyes were rather large and they could see in almost complete darkness. Expeditions were sent and they told of a culture which was based on the survival of the fittest. This world was very dangerous and few lived to be as much as ten ennin. In fact only two out of ten lived to the day which marked their start of a life as adults. The Ce'agar where different from other elves in one very crucial way, they were no stronger than humans until they were physically mature when it came to fighting off disease or infections. Once they had matured they were tough as stone, they could survive injuries which would kill any other creature and the healers who first examined this race said that the only sure way to kill a Ce'agar warrior was to decapitate him completely.

They started to learn sindarin from the elves who came to study their culture and they accepted the presence of these strangers but regarded them with a mix of patronizing goodwill and downright disgust. They found the elves of Aman to be weak and flawed and plainly spoken sissies and cowards.

But an understanding was slowly being developed and the two races accepted each other but they kept their distance too. As the colonies on earth were established and time went by the elves of Aman saw a new opportunity to have new experiences and learn new things and Ravenne had chosen to travel to earth where she worked as a guard in one of the colonies. Lithui could only be visited by some specially selected elves and only by a few at a time. They did not want to influence their culture or introduce dangerous germs and viruses.

Ravenne had worked as a guard for a decade and she had been in awe and shock of how the world was changing and not in the least how fast. From horse drawn carriages to nuclear powered ships and the internet in less than a century. She loved the fast pace of this new age and she had calmed down and the feral look in her eyes had almost disappeared. She thrived with her task and returned a couple of times each year to spend time with the family. She brought gifts for the children and told her stories of unbelievable wonders and her parents did breathe many a silent sigh of relief. Her future looked secure and she was doing a great job too, everybody was bragging about her. She was indeed her father's daughter and many respected her and looked up to her. She had an uncanny ability to predict trouble and she understood this strange and complex human society like none others. She felt like her life had a purpose after all and for many years she was as happy as she could be. She only wished that she could have felt the joy others shared but she had accepted that her body was frigid, she was a fighter and not a lover and she sought to hone her skills as much as she could.

She washed her hair and stared at herself in the mirror, she was pretty, more than pretty. Some said that she was hauntingly beautiful and she was glad the magic of the Istari made them look like humans when they passed through the portal. She had brought gifts this time too and she had taken especially joy in presenting her father with an old Japanese katana. The blade had been insanely expensive and she had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it in the catalogue of a major auction firm. It was exquisite and she would never forget the look in her ada's eyes when he opened the gift. He knew that this was a very special thing to receive and he was in awe of the magnificent craftsmanship. He had problems believing that humans could have created something this perfect and she knew that it was placed on the mantelpiece in his own chambers so that everybody who visited could admire it.

She got out of the water and got into a dress. She preferred to wear loose pants and a long tunic but she did use a dress when at home in respect for her mother. She did decide that she looked good and then she braided her hair and went to the dining hall. She could hear voices up ahead and smiled, whenever the family was gathered it was always a lot of racket. Astarion's kids were very vigorous and noisy and she just hoped that Raina wouldn't feel too bad about seeing them around her. She entered the room and grinned, they were sitting by the table and they were ready to eat. She could immediately see that Raina had been crying, it was such an irony, she had the power to heal others but she could not fix her own body. Ravenne knew that she probably had miscarried one more time, she no longer told anyone she was pregnant, they usually learned of it when it was too late. Nireariel had tried to help but to no prevail and Ravenne felt so sorry for her sister. She loved her siblings dearly and wished them nothing but joy.

Legolas and his wife sat by the table too, they were obviously discussing something because she could see how Morilinde tried to charm her husband into submission. The small elleth was just as elegant and ethereal as ever but she had a wild streak to her since she was of strange origin and had a most peculiar past. Ravenne knew that Legolas had saved her life while living in Ithilien and they had no children yet. Nireariel smiled to her daughter and Ravenne found her place at the table, Thranduil said a small prayer and they could begin to eat. The food was good but rather simple. Only at feasts and celebrations did they make anything special and Ravenne did not mind, she could eat raw meat if she needed to. To her this was luxury. Nireariel was telling them of a group of elves who had arrived earlier that day with some injured youngsters, they had tried to ride some of the wild horses which lived in the woods and Thranduil grinned and laughed. It was very typical of the young to do such stupid things and Ravenne just smiled. She knew that this land did such things with the younger generations, they faced no challenges and sought excitement and thrills in ways that became more and more dangerous. Many of those she spent her time with on earth were young and to them it was like a breath of fresh air.

The meal was over and Ravenne walked with Astarion down to the courtyard, some gardeners were trying to shape some bushes into animals but they were not exactly good at it, Ravenne had problems even guessing what they were supposed to look like. Astarion scolded his youngest son for having dropped a plate on the floor during the dinner and breaking it but he did not even raise his voice and Ravenne knew that her brother's patience was as vast as the ocean when it came to his boisterous offspring. His wife was the perfect housewife and she used all her time making sure that their home was perfect and that everybody was perfectly happy, well fed and not the least well dressed. Ravenne could perhaps have hated her very guts had she not been so obviously kind and warm hearted. Astarion sighed and his eyes were a bit sad. "You have heard I guess?"

Ravenne shook her head. "Don't need that, I saw it."

Astarion swallowed. "It is horrible you know, she is getting more desperate every time. I fear she will lose her mind, and perhaps Rocarion too."

Ravenne gasped. "No? He would not leave her?! He can't!"

Astarion sighed and leaned against the wall. "He doesn't want to no, but it may be the only solution, as long as they are together she will keep trying to conceive and every time it ends this way."

Ravenne looked down, she felt so sorry for her sister. "He could withhold his fea you know, both souls has to cooperate if there is to be a child. Without that there cannot be a new soul."

Astarion made a grimace. "I have spoken to him, he is just as upset as her, he fears that it is his fault, that he isn't strong enough to support her. I don't think it is his fault at all. I think it is something strictly biological."

Ravenne felt a cold chill run down her spine. "I took the curse from you both while in our mother's womb. Do you think it could be a last remnant of what her curse should have been?"

Astarion squeezed his eyes together, he looked thoughtful. "It is actually a possibility, I know of your …problem. That Raina is incapable of carrying a baby to full term could be something of the same sorts."

Ravenne could just sigh and nod. "Then there is no hope for her is there?"

Astarion sent her a sad smile. "I fear you might be right sister, but we have hope still. Miracles do happen you know, sometimes the gods are playing with our fates and the game may change within the blink of an eye."

Ravenne nodded and felt how the cold solid stone against her hands made this whole conversation strangely unreal. "I know, I just wish I knew the meaning behind it all."

Astarion sent her a sad grin. "If we knew that we would be gods and that my dear sister we are not!"

She smiled at him, he looked so much like their mother when it came to the shape of his face and the gracefulness of his movements but he also had his father's height and she knew that a whole bunch of ellith had become heart broken when he found his one and wed her. She petted her brother on his shoulder. "At least our family line is secured, you have sired enough elflings to keep the house of Oropher going for several millennia."

Astarion sighed and there was something dark in his eyes. "Speaking of the devil, have you met our uncle lately?"

Ravenne lifted an eyebrow, she made a grimace. "No, not this time. I met Cunarin last time I was home, it was…interesting!"

Astarion looked as if he had tasted something rather rotten. "That's the right word sister, I know he is my uncle but I hate his guts, he is so darn arrogant. I would have guessed that spending several ages in the halls of Mandos would make him a more agreeable person but no, he is a load of horse dung!"

Ravenne had to laugh. "Yes, he is. But remember he was so young when he died and he never learned anything about living, and I don't think he learned more while being among the other awaiting their chance to enter a new body."

Astarion chuckled. "Weird really, Ada told me a lot of Daeradar and his ways and I was scared like hell to meet him but he was not that bad. That is one ellon who has changed and that to the better."

Ravenne grinned. "I guess getting killed can do that to you yes. I know Ada was terrified too when he learned that his father had been re-embodied and was waiting to meet him. I have never seen ada that scared but it went surprisingly well. They spoke, cried, spoke some more and got drunk together."

Astarion nodded and watched as his youngest daughter tried to get her nanny to bathe in a fountain with her. He smiled and Ravenne was amazed by how beautiful and good her brother was. He and their sister was just pure light while she on the other hand sometimes felt as if though she consisted of just darkness. "The best way to rebuild broken bonds yes, I think Oropher was even more scared than ada, he knew what he had done and I think he still is terribly sorry."

Astarion had a sad expression in his eyes. "You are right, he is still suffering. He treated Ada like shit and he almost broke him completely. There are going to be a lot of healing being done before those two are done with the past and has everything put behind them."

Ravenne had to laugh. "Yes, but remember when Cunarin thought that he could order ada around? By Saurons teeth did he get a surprise! "

Astarion nodded, his eyes were glittering with mirth. "Ada hasn't been ruling as a king for several millennia without getting the needed authority, and a vocabulary of cusswords worthy of an award. I have never seen anyone turn pale that fast."

Ravenne bit her lower lip, she had actually sparred against her uncle once, he had been very patronizing and quite convinced that an elleth was unable to fight, she had proven him very wrong! She had beat him thoroughly and well and he had left the sparring ring limping and looking as if he had swallowed a pound of sour lemons.

Astarion shook his head. "Elinde, don't push your nanny!"

Ravenne smiled and Astarion bowed his head. "I have to go sister, it appears that my offspring is trying to drown our dear nanny in the horse's water trough"

Ravenne just nodded and turned around. She could see that a caravan of wagons bringing goods from the coast had arrived and the drivers were standing by them fixing the harnesses of their horses or just chatting away. She was getting curious, she wanted to know if anything of interest had happened back there and she walked towards them and they saw her and bowed their heads in respect. "So, is there any news from the coast?"

The drivers just shrugged. "Not much, there are some new settlements being build and they want to expand the main roads. "

The man speaking was a rather short ellon with a strange sandy color to his hair and pale blue eyes. Ravenne had not seen him before and he was dressed rather poorly. Another ellon petted his horse on its neck. "Well, there are some rumors spreading from up north, someone found some dead elves."

Ravenne frowned. "Dead elves? Here? That is impossible?"

The ellon nodded. "Yes, but I heard it from a guard, he was rather adamant too. It was true. He said that at least five elves had been found dead in their home."

Ravenne shook her head in disbelief. "Could it have been some sort of suicide? I know that some are driven insane by this place"

The driver just shrugged. "I have no clue, that was all I was told."

Ravenne smiled. "Well, if something serious is going on I am sure we will hear of it soon."

She just turned and left and little did she know that those words would come back to haunt her later. She had heard the first dark omen, and she did not yet know of it but soon a new sort of darkness would fall over her world and everything would change, and the change would be dramatic.


	2. When worlds collide

Things are starting to happen, a unimaginable enemy is rearing its nasty head and the worlds will forever be changed. Who will live and who will die?

The verse here in the beginning is from the old norse poem Håvamål, the words of the high one which is of course Odin. To a Viking this poem was a list of good rules on how to behave, not like the ten commandments of the Christian belief but just good advice. They are still useable to this day, I like them a lot

I chose it for this chapter just for the heck of it, thought it fitted somehow, it is better to have problems than to be dead. One should never rush headlong into danger without thinking first.

**Chapter Two: When worlds collide**

_Haltr ríðr hrossi,_

_hjörð rekr handar vanr,_

_daufr vegr ok dugir,_

_blindr er betri_

_en brenndr séi,_

_nýtr manngi nás._

_A limp can ride_

_Handless can herd_

_deaf fights well in battle_

_blind is better_

_Than being burned_

_dead man is good for nothing_

_Havamål_

_(Thranduil's Pov)_

The evening sun was warm and the pools and slow flowing areas of the river were almost cramped with elflings trying to cool down. The laughter and squeals made the forest rather noisy but nobody cared, there were no dangers there and no guards were needed. Some ellith sat by the river banks with works of craft in their hands. These woodlands were independent and they hardly ever bought anything from the coastal areas except some items they could not produce there and those were just luxuries they just bought every now and then. This new Greenwood was thriving and most of the population lived as the first wood elves had, they built their huts from the materials of the forest, they hunted and foraged and wore home spun cloth which made them almost invisible among the branches. It was as if time had reversed itself and if the elves of in their eyes more noble background thought about this realm at all nobody knew and nobody cared. Thranduil was their leader as he had been for ages and they trusted him as they ever had. He could be stubborn and sometimes a bit temperamental but he was their king, his heart was that of a wood elf and with his wife being of their kin he was one of them.

The palace was cool now in the heat and many stayed indoors, the ellith would gather in small groups chatting merrily while spinning or weaving and the children would play as children do. Thranduil was sitting by one of the fountains reading when they heard the distant sound of hoofbeats. Someone was riding hard towards the gates and Thranduil put down the book with a strange sensation within his chest, it felt as if someone had poured icewater into him. He got onto his feet, checked that he had his sword strapped to his side out of old habit and swallowed hard. He heard the guards shouting and he felt a surge of panic, where was everybody, were they safe? Was his wife close by? His children?

A servant came running like his pants were on fire. "My liege, a courier has arrived, from the leaders and councils back east. It is important."

Thranduil clenched his teeth together, he mustered up all his strength and calm and then he nodded and went to meet the courier, he had a sensation of impending doom. The ellon sat in a chair just beyond the entrance, he was drinking water and some stable hands were seeing to his horse, the animal had almost collapsed from fatigue. Thranduil knew that this was serious the moment he saw this, nobody would ride a good horse to death if it wasn't something of uttermost importance. The courier saw him approaching and managed to get to his feet even though Poicano who still were their main healer tried to make him remain sitting. "Aran Thranduil, I bring thee news from the council of the wise."

Thranduil sighed. "Speak, I can already see that whatever news you are carrying are of the grim kind."

The courier bent his head, he was swallowing hard. "Yes my lord, it is. Something terrible has happened!"

He took a scroll out of his couriers bag and handed it over to Thranduil who stared at it as if it was a poisonous spider. He grasped it and tried not to wince when his skin touched the scroll. _And thus ends the time of peace_, his own inner voice was almost indifferent and he saw the seal of the council upon the scroll. So, they had assembled them all, all those wise of old, the Istari and the leaders, this had to be grave indeed. He took a deep breath and opened the scroll almost hesitantly. He immediately recognized the neat handwriting of Elrond and he made a grimace and sighed to himself. Still those who had carried the three elven rings were regarded as something special. He had managed to keep his realm safe without the help of that kind of magic and he had a glimpse of bitterness within his glance. Who had owned the real strength back then? It was hard to tell but he felt that history perhaps had been a little unjust on his behalf. The scroll was filled with words and he turned around and found a place to sit down, he felt as though he would need it. The letter started with the normal polite introductions and wishes but soon it became something far darker than he had imagined.

Elrond had never been too fond of using many words to describe things and this letter spoke volumes between the lines. Thranduil could almost see it all and he cringed and felt his hands shiver. Something had attacked several of the cities up north, it had appeared out of the blue and disappeared again without a trace but the death toll was great. Elrond described a destruction which normally would have been the result of orcs but there were no orcs in Valinor. The blessed realm was blessedly free from such creatures. There had been nothing left alive, buildings torn down, burned and bodies ripped apart and mutilated so badly it had been hard to tell who or what they had been.

Thranduil felt cold sweat running down his back, the attacks had come without warning and they had been over within just a few hours. Since nobody had survived nobody could tell what or who it was that had been behind the mayhem. It was a mystery and one which spelled trouble, not even the Istari had been able to tell what it was that had caused this destruction but they could sense the use of strong magic. And the source of this strange power seemed to be the world in between. Elrond had been asked to gather every leader within the realm, if this was something which would continue they needed to defend themselves, and Valinor was not prepared for a war.

Thranduil leaned his forehead in his hands, he felt sick at heart. Only those who had been living in middle earth knew how to fight, the others were perhaps trained but it was just for fun, for sports. They had never had to kill to defend themselves and they were useless in a real battle. Thranduil sighed and got up again, one week from now, he would have to leave the day after tomorrow if he was to make it in time. His face got grim, determined. He would not travel alone, they had always regarded him as almost insignificant for his kingdom of what many saw as elves of lesser heritage. But with his father by his side he would have one important supporting voice to add to his own and he also wanted Legolas to come along. He had seen war and destruction, and he knew deep within that his oldest son wanted to feel that he was useful once more.

He got up and walked back in, he knew that Nireariel would become very nervous and he wished that he could have spared her for this, but there was no way around it. He had to go, and he had to prepare them all for a possible attack. Nobody knew whether or not this would happen again, or when it would happen. He found her in the healing ward, there was little to do here in Aman, but people still got injured every now and then. She had just helped a tiny elfling with a broken finger and she smiled as she turned around and saw him. Her smile disappeared as she saw the expression within his eyes, there was no point in lying to her, it was impossible. She knew him better than he knew himself and he could see how she got pale and her eyes wide and scared. He tried to smile and her lips got narrow and tight pressed together. "Thranduil, what is it?!"

He grimaced. "Bad news meleth, very bad news, How many healers do we have?"

Nireariel swallowed hard, she had not seen that expression on her husband's face for an age and she grasped his hand, as if only to have something to hold on to. "About twenty when I do count those in training as healers, why?"

He sighed. "There has been attacks, cities along the coast. I have been called to a meeting, they fear that it might happen again"

Nireariel let out a strange sound, it sounded as a thing between a sigh and a squeal, she squeezed his hands hard. "Any deaths?"

He nodded. "Many, no survivors!"

She sat down, her face filled with horror. "This land is not equipped for a war, there are no defenses."

He had a strange sensation there and then, he had built this new home as a copy of the old fortress of Greenwood, just bigger and better. He had wanted to remember when he built it, now he saw that he had been preparing. Maybe the gods had given him a sort of silent warning. He nodded. "The cities are defenseless yes, even with every ellon available being called to arms. There are few fortresses here, there has not been need for something like that for ages. Nobody remembers the horrors of war."

Nireariel sighed and touched his cheek lovingly. "And so they gather everybody who knows how to fight, I know you have to go but promise me this, do not let them think even for a second that they can order you around. Your experience and knowledge is valuable my love, let your voice be heard!"

He nodded. "I will, I will ask father to follow me, and Legolas too, he is rather respected here and I know of others too who will see things from our point of view."

Nireariel looked down, when she raised her eyes again he could see a glimpse of sheer determination within her purple gaze. "So, what am I to do?"

He kissed her forehead lovingly. "Be a queen my love, lead the people. This fortress can give shelter to at least a thousand of us, maybe twice as many if people are willing to live close to each other. We need supplies and plans, everybody has to know what to do and when."

She looked very proud there and then, as a true queen should. "I will do my best meleth, I will not let you down."

He smiled at her and thought that she rarely had been more beautiful to him. "I am proud of you, our people have never had a queen quite like you."

She gave him a crooked grin. "Damn right they haven't. When are you to leave?"

He sighed. "The day after tomorrow, we will have to ride hard."

Nireariel nodded and he saw the sadness within her eyes. "I never thought that I would have to say goodbye to you, for any reason. Go do your duty my light, but come back to me, that is an order!"

He kissed her hand. "Of course my lady, not even a dragon could keep me from you."

She giggled and let her hand slide across his cheek. "I know, find your father and prepare for the journey, I will start to prepare our home for an eventual siege."

He kissed her passionately and grinned to himself, if he was to leave and be gone for weeks then he would use these last two nights to the full.

He hurried to his chambers and put on some clothes more suitable for riding, his father had built a smaller home for himself to the west of this place and it was an hour ride away. Then he went to the stable and got a horse, they had brought some of their best horses with them when they sailed and he had been very careful when selecting the best animals to breed from. The result was that his realm could brag about having the best horses in Aman. He got in the saddle and let the bay mare run as she wanted, it was a fiery animal and very fast and he enjoyed the speed as they raced down the paths towards his father's house. There were few elves to be seen at this time of the day, most preferred to stay in the shadows to avoid the heat and he felt how the sun made his shirt stick to his back, he was sweating already.

When the huge wooden buildings got into sight he slowed the mare down, let her walk the last mile and cool down. He admired the beautiful color of the buildings, they had been covered with tar to protect them and he felt a sickening feeling within his heart when the idea of how well this would burn hit him. They had to bring everybody with them to the fortress, in this place nobody was safe. He stopped by the stable, it was empty since all the horses were put out to graze and he saw no one there, he would have to tend to his mare and he sighed and got off the horse and started to unfasten the saddle. He stopped, he thought he had heard something? A sort of moaning? He froze, raised his head and put his hand over the muzzle of the mare so that she would not whinny and reveal that he was there. He heard the sound again, definitely some sort of moan. Was somebody hurt? Was something wrong?

He threw the reins over a fence pole and unfastened his sword, walked slowly towards the source of the sound, it was a small building used to store tack and grooming equipment placed behind the stable. He stopped and listened and now he felt how his ears started to feel hot, somebody was indeed moaning but that person was not alone and it was not exactly pain that made whoever it was make these noises. So, some of his father's stable workers had some fun in their spare time? He put his sword back in its sheath and shook his head, laughing to himself. Perhaps he should knock on the door and see what kind of reaction it would create?

He was about to turn around and see to his horse when he heard one of the voices from the inside call out a name, he gasped and turned his head around. What? Had he heard what he thought he had heard? He swallowed and hesitantly he walked towards the building, peeped in through a crack in the dried old wooden planks. He was right, it was no doubt of the identity of one of the two inside of the small room. He backed away from the wall and shook his head, how the heck could they have missed this? Now that he had seen the evidence with his own eyes it became rather evident but why hadn't they noticed before?

He sighed and returned to the horse, removed the last of the tack and let her out into a paddock. Then he sat on the fence and waited. He did not have to wait for too long, the door to the storage opened and two elves emerged from the room, both had that glow to them which indicated that this was more than just a quick affair just for the thrill and pleasure of it. These two loved each other and Thranduil felt a sudden bang of guilt for having exposed something which really was none of his business whatsoever. The two spotted him and froze, he could see that the young blonde one looked embarrassed but little more than that. The other on the other hand went pale as a sheet and for a second Thranduil feared that he would collapse. He got on his feet, walked towards them. The dark haired closed his eyes, breathing as if he had been running hard. "You know!"

Thranduil sighed. "Hard to miss with the noise you two were making, so, yes, now I know!"

Cunarin sat down on a wooden box, his hands were shaking. The other elf looked nervous, he reached out and touched Cunarin's shoulder very lovingly. "Melethron? Are you alright?"

Cunarin managed to smile to his lover, petted the hand gently. "I am fine Caladem, just go back inside and continue with whatever you were doing, I'll be ok."

Caladem looked a bit as if he was in doubt but he nodded and left and Cunarin leaned forward, hid his face in his hands. "Thran, please don't tell anyone!"

Thranduil stared at his brother, he had something now which he could use to his own benefit but what kind of a brother would he be if he did? He had never liked Cunarin, not before they met here in Aman and absolutely not after they met but he was his brother after all. He kneeled down. "Cunarin, why are you trying to keep this a secret? Nobody would blame you for…for preferring males?"

Cunarin looked up, his dark blue eyes were filled with tears. "I know, oh I know but naneth, she would be so disappointed! She wants more grandchildren and I always was her little one."

Thranduil felt sorry for his brother, he never thought that he would but now he did. He knew that attitudes had been different back in the time when Cunarin had first been alive, and he also knew that his brother had stayed in the halls of Mandos for a very long time, suspiciously long in fact. He got a creeping sensation and he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, to comfort him. He saw now how Cunarin's haughty behavior and insufferable arrogance was a masquerade to hide a very vulnerable and very insecure fea. "Does ada know?"

Cunarin nodded. "Yes, he knows now, he didn't know back then, before I…before I died. He has promised to say nothing"

Thranduil sighed. "I am sure that naneth would accept this, she is not one of those terrible old golodhrim ellith who thinks that the world revolves around them and their wishes. "

Cunarin swallowed, he looked as if he was about to start sobbing. "But she will never forgive me what I did back then! Never! I know how I hurt her, but I was…oh Valar!"

He did break into sobbing and Thranduil felt helpless. "Cunarin, please, I am here now, tell me what it was that was so terrible. Get it off your chest."

Cunarin looked so much like himself there and then, his colors were their mothers but he had the same tall slender wide shouldered body and the same handsome features, it was just that Cunarin looked a bit feminine for some reason and now Thranduil knew why. "I told ada when we met in the halls, he forgave me but only after some centuries. He was re-embodied before I was, I had to wait as a punishment."

Thranduil sighed, he thought he already knew what Cunarin had done. His brother hung his head low, his voice cracking up. "I was in love back then, I thought he was my one, and I was so happy when he returned my feelings. But things were not as they appeared to be, he had another lover and he got jealous and angry and threatened to expose us. I feared that such a scandal would cause great harm to our family, to adar's plans and future not the least so I…"

Thranduil saw the despair in his brothers eyes, Cunarin had been hardly more than a youngster back then, not at all mature enough to know what decisions to make. "You murdered that other ellon?"

Cunarin sighed and nodded. "Yes, I did, I hid his body in a cave and everybody thought that orcs had gotten him. And things were fine for a while and then Caladem was killed by orcs and my world collapsed. It turned to utter darkness and I could not face it anymore. I could not live without Caladem so…I made sure that I didn't"

Thranduil took a deep breath. "You started that fight in order to get yourself killed?"

Cunarin nodded. "Stupid right? But I wanted to die like a man, not as a coward by my own blade, I did not want ada to think that his son was weak. So I insulted those humans after having dropped some mushroom essence into their ale, they went berserk and well, that was that. I was killed and went to Mandos and ada turned my memory into something I never was. He told me how he treated you and I felt guilty for that too."

Thranduil shook his head, how many tragedies did this family really hide? "It was stupid yes, but I guess you didn't see any other options?"

Cunarin shook his head. "No, all I wanted was to see my Caladem again. And I did, but it took a long time before he even recognized me. I guess the Valar can be cruel at times."

Thranduil nodded. The things some people would do for love! He petted Cunarin on his shoulder again, trying to show some brotherly affection. He still had problems liking Cunarin but he did at least understand him a bit better. "I am not the one to tell you what you should or shouldn't do, but I am sure that naneth would forgive you, after all, you are back right? And she has grandchildren now. Besides, I think Caladem looked like a very…nice young ellon"

Cunarin sighed. "He is, the best ever, my light and life."

Thranduil smiled, the smile almost a bit sad. "Then don't you at least owe him the right to call himself your mate? You are hiding this as if it was something shameful and dangerous, you should show the world that you love each other. Don't you think that he deserves that?"

Cunarin closed his eyes. "I know, and he does. There are many same gender couples here, I have met several but I am a coward still brother. I haven't got the courage to tell her that I murdered someone, and that I got myself killed on purpose. My death almost broke her spirit Thran, I would never do that to her again"

Thranduil felt deeply sorry for his brother, he thought it was such an irony that Cunarin was the first born of them but still a heck of a lot younger than himself. He was the little brother but the one with experience and wisdom. "I am sure it will sort itself out in the end, you just have to turn around and face your fears, then they will disappear. It will be like pulling a tooth, painful yes but better than being in agony for a long time. Believe me, she will get angry and hurt and perhaps even shocked but in the end she will forgive you. I know she will."

Cunarin just nodded, his eyes clouded with emotion. "I hope so brother, but why are you here? We didn't expect you?"

Thranduil felt a lump in his throat, he looked down. "Something has happened brother, and I need to speak to ada right now. It is important!"

Cunarin looked at his brother and saw the expression within his eyes, he had thought that Thranduil was such an ice cold and controlled creature and he had been afraid of him ever since they met for the first time. His arrogant and patronizing behavior had been an attempt to show the world that he wasn't afraid, although he was. When he had tried to act as if he was the older and more powerful one Thranduil had given him the shock of his life and he had been scared shitless by his brothers rage. But now that strength felt reassuring in a way, as something safe. "Ada is in his study I think, he has come upon some very ancient books. What is this about?"

Thranduil got onto his feet again, looking like a true king should. "There has been attacks, we may have to evacuate everybody."

Cunarin went pale and Thranduil tried to give him a calm smile. "Do not worry brother, you will be safe within the fortress."

Cunarin swallowed hard and knew there and then that he never would be as brave or as wise as his brother. He had not seen anything at all but his brother had watched their father die a most horrible death in front of the very gates of Mordor, he had lead a people through several ages and fought an enemy Cunarin had problems even imagining. Cunarin knew there and then that he was a child compared with Thranduil and he would never be anything like him even if he tried. Thranduil had been hardened by life like a sword is getting tempered by a smith, he only got stronger and stronger and he never bent or broke. Cunarin bent his neck, showed his submission. "Yes my king, we will be safe"

Thranduil rushed through the entrance to Oropher's palace, the servants looked quite shocked by his sudden appearance but he did not stop to explain why he had just showed up without sending someone ahead to warn them. He ran towards his father's study and knocked on the door, he heard Oropher answer and opened the door. His father was sitting by the window and he had a book in his lap, he raised his eyebrows and looked very puzzled by his son's sudden arrival. Thranduil swallowed hard, he had problems finding the right words to start with. Oropher sighed and placed the book onto a small table, Thranduil could already see that his father had guessed that something was going on and that it was bad. "What's going on son?"

Thranduil made a grimace, Oropher looked so much like Legolas it was almost spooky but he lacked his grandsons cheerful personality and never ending optimism. He was a more serious type of person who always tried to see things from as many sides as possible before he made any decisions. Thranduil took a deep breath. "There has been attacks, several cities up north. Everything alive killed and nothing left. Nobody knows who or what's behind it."

Oropher stared at his son with huge eyes, he blinked twice and it would have looked rather comical if it had not been so serious. "Are you serious? Oh Gods!"

Thranduil felt a wave of frenetic energy rush through him. "We may have to evacuate everybody, to get them into the fortress. Nobody knows if it will happen again, or where. I am called to a meeting, I wish that you follow me."

Oropher was on his feet and his eyes were blazing. "So, not even the blessed realms are safe? Do they know anything at all?"

Thranduil nodded. "It is strong magic involved, and it appears to have come from Lithui."

Oropher frowned. "There is still little we know about that world, I guess that will have to change now. When is that meeting going to be held?"

Thranduil felt how his entire face felt stiff and unnatural, he wanted to sneer for some reason. "In a week from today."

Oropher sent him a rather devilish grin. "I'll join you, you can bet on it. I want to see that those morons don't cause yet another Dagorlad."

Thranduil felt a chill run down his spine. "Do you think they are stupid enough to disregard the wisdom so painfully achieved?"

Oropher laughed but the laugh was not a pleasant one. "Oh yes son, I am rather sure of that. Those once in power will strive to be leaders once more and it will end in chaos. I know them all. They see honor and glory and they never saw the suffering the common soldier had to endure. To them it is all grand and the stuff of ballads and songs but the truth is that few of them ever fought for real. They have had others fighting for them."

Thranduil knew that his father was right, he looked down. "Then who may we trust? Who will take the right kind of action?"

Oropher had a dark expression within his eyes. "Those who did fight and die! Those who stood up to the enemy because they had no other choice, who knew what would become of us all if they failed. Not one of those lords and kings who saw it all as politics and strategies. They will shout out and pretend as if they still are the ones with most power and wisdom but it is a masquerade. This realm is not ready for battle son, it never was and it will hardly ever be. We have to prepare us for the worse."

Thranduil clenched his teeth together. "And by that you mean?"

Oropher sighed, his shoulders slumped. "The end of days, Ardon meth, the final battle between good and evil. It will come you know, one day will be the last one!"

Thranduil felt how his breath hitched and his heart skipped several beats. He knew of this, but not now, not yet. Dear Valar, not yet!

Oropher sighed, he patted his son on the back. "But whatever it is that is happening, we will face it fighting son, and we will not go down without kicking some ass before we die, right?!"

Thranduil nodded. "Damn right ada, I just pray that it never will come to that."

Oropher nodded, his eyes sad. "I too son, but I feel it in my bones. We have reached a time of darkness, and only our wisdom and strength may save us."

Thranduil bit his lower lip, he felt how his own fear was threatening to ruin his calm and ability to think straight. He shook his head and clenched his fists. "I have to go ada, but be ready to leave and bring some weapons. I want Legolas to join us too."

Oropher sighed deeply and his face was a bit sad. "He is a fine lad Thran, a better man than I ever was. You did a good job raising him, I know they respect him. If they don't want to listen to us two old badgers they'd better listen to him. He has seen what evil can do."

Thranduil tried to smile. "Yes, I just pray that he won't have to face it again."

Thranduil rode towards the area where Legolas lived with a feeling of great unease, this group of elves had chosen to build talans in the trees and the area had been named new Lothlorien since it was a bit like the old realm back on Arda. Legolas and his wife stayed in his palace most of the time but every now and then they would return to this place since Morilinde preferred the forest. She felt trapped being underground and he had to smile when he thought of his daughter in law and her strange ways. He grinned, his son had affectionately named her Squirrel when they first met, not knowing that her people used that name on women of less than decent reputation. But she matched his son perfectly and he was surprised by the fact that they hadn't been blessed with children yet. Thranduil stopped his horse and stared up at his sons talan, it appeared to be deserted and he sighed. Now where could Legolas be? He needed to talk to him right away. He heard someone shout his name and turned his head. He saw that Rumil came walking carrying a deer across his shoulders, the hunter grinned but the grin disappeared when he saw the king's expression. Thranduil tried to smile but his mouth just would not obey him. It felt stiff and reluctant. Haldir's brother dropped the deer and cocked his head. "Aran nin, why are you here now?"

Thranduil sighed. "Have you seen my son? I have to speak with him, it is important!"

Rumil nodded. "I saw him and his wife just a few minutes ago, they are bathing in the river, at the bend to the east of here."

Thranduil gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Rumil looked nervous. "Is anything wrong?"

Thranduil took a look around, there were talans in almost every tree there, some weren't that high above the ground and they were made to look nice and be comfortable homes, not to be defended. "Maybe my friend, ask everybody to prepare themselves for a possible evacuation."

Rumil got pale and then he turned around and ran, possibly to find his brother. Thranduil rode towards the river and he had a strange sensation of haste. The river was wide and slow flowing and he could hear the sound of laughter and splashing from afar, most of the population of this area had gone down to the riverbed to bathe and cool off and he stopped the horse and went the last few hundred meters on foot not to startle anyone. There were elves everywhere and he saw children flinging themselves from the tree branches that reached far out over the water. It was such an idyllic scene and he felt like a madman to come there with his intentions. Some did notice him but most of the elves were too relaxed to care much about a stranger, they did not even look up. He saw his son and daughter in law sitting on a log resting on the shore, it was probably used as a raft by the children because he could see that several elflings were standing there looking impatient. They probably wanted the adults gone so they could push it into the river once more.

Legolas lifted his head and saw him, he looked bewildered right away and Thranduil smiled and went to them, sat down on the log next to his son. The children looked even more disappointed now, he grinned at them. "Do not worry little ones, you will have your log back soon."

Legolas cocked his head. "Something tells me that you haven't come down there to cool off ada!"

Thranduil nodded and sighed. He leaned towards his son and saw that Morilinde listened to them with keen ears, she heard everything but then again, there was no way you could hide anything from a female like her. Legolas went deathly pale and his eyes were enormous, he stared at his father with utter disbelief. "No, it cannot be! "

Thranduil wanted to embrace him and tell him that everything would be alright but he could not, not there in public. He just petted his sons shoulder. "I fear that it is, will you follow me to the meeting? We need as many as possible who are able to actually think instead of just talk."

Legolas took a deep breath, turned towards his wife. She looked very scared but she nodded silently, there was no doubt she understood the seriousness of this. Legolas sighed, closed his eyes, they were filled with fierce determination when he opened them. "I will follow you ada, trust me!"

Thranduil smiled but the smile was filled with melancholy. "Thank you Ion nin, I just pray that my fears never become reality."

Legolas nodded silently, his eyes were distant. "So do I!"

Thranduil rode back home slowly, his horse was getting tired and he saw no point in pushing the mare in this heat. He reached back home just after it got dark and he saw that Nireariel was waiting for him by the entrance. She looked tired and he felt a bang of intense guilt for having given her such responsibilities. She was strong and very smart but he feared that this would be too much for her. He missed Ravenne, she always managed to keep Nireariel calm and collected but his silver haired daughter was on earth right now and would not return for months. He just prayed that she was safe.

Nireariel smiled and embraced him lovingly, she had obviously been working hard because her braids had come undone and her long white hair was flowing around her like some frozen waterfall. She had specks of dirt on her dress and skin and he could not help but smile and wipe some stains off her cheeks. "I have been down in the basement counting through the supplies with Eleril and Ceriel, phew, it was quite a job but now we know exactly how much we have of everything."

He smiled at her. "Well done Meleth, is there anything we need more off?"

Nireariel followed him towards their private chambers, she was gesticulation towards several servants who were running around like rabbits. "Yes, but it depends on the situation, we can feed about nine hundred elves for a year with what we have now. I have ordered for the storages kept in the smaller settlements to be brought here too and then we can feed a little more than twice that many for the same amount of time."

Thranduil tried to think fast and calculate the volume of food and such that was needed but he was too tired and his head was spinning. "Anything we will run out off?"

Nireariel nodded. "Wine, blankets and bread I fear. There is little grain left and Astar knows that the price of wheat is sky high right now, due to the heat. The fields are drying up."

Thranduil took a deep breath, a strange vision rushed through his head, burning wheat fields, covered with clouds of dark smoke. Nireariel noticed the far-away look that was in his eyes and her eyes went dark with worry. "What did you see Thran?"

He swallowed hard. "Burning fields, flames raging wild."

She gasped and her white skin took a tone of grey. "We will be safe here right?"

He took her by her arm, tried to smile. "Of course, we live in a mountain, there will be no fires here"

Nireariel saw how fear and doubt had caught his mind and she pushed him in through the doors, made him sit down on the bed while she helped him with his jacket and boots. "You need a bath, you reek of horse and you have enough dust in your hair to start a dust storm."

He just nodded and allowed her to help him getting undressed, the pool of their private bath was warm and he was looking forward to getting the stiffness of his long ride out of his legs. He got into the water and grinned when he saw that she was pulling her own dress off rather slowly. "And exactly what is it the lady of the house is planning on doing?"

She smiled innocently and the sight of her naked body made his heart speed up as always. She knew exactly how to make him forget his worries. "I am planning on joining you my lord, I guess that you could need a hand?"

He sent her a crooked grin, a hand? "That would be nice my lady, but I fear that your hand just won't be enough, not this time!"

She giggled and slipped into the water, she looked like a goddess there and then. "No? What more could you possibly need my lord?"

He plunged forth, grasped her and grinned at her delighted squeal. "All of you for starters!"

Some hours later the candles had burned down save from one and the bedchamber was thrown into darkness. Nireariel was not asleep yet, she stared at the ceiling and her mind was wandering. Thranduil had fallen asleep and she had to grin, he was sleeping on top of her with his cheek pressed towards her and although he was rather heavy she did not have the heart to wake him up. She appreciated the closeness, she had no idea of when they could repeat this and she feared that they would be separated for a long time. She ran her fingers through his long silky hair and sighed, she could only pray that this wasn't as bad as he feared, that it would prove to be a problem easily fixed but she knew deep within that he was right. This was the start of something that could spell disaster and she clenched her teeth together and closed her eyes, inhaled his scent deeply. She would not lose him, if she did she would walk right up to the very Valar themselves and demand him back. She wasn't without powers and she had slowly learned that her song of creation also could be used to destroy. No, she would not let anything happen to those she loved, she would die before that happened.

The next day was spent making preparations for the journey and Nireariel tried to organize living quarters for as many as possible. She knew that the place would be crammed and she just hoped that they wouldn't have to bring everybody into the palace. It wasn't made for that many inhabitants and she knew how fear and worry could make people more temperamental than they normally would be. Oropher and Legolas arrived that evening and the three ellyn spent the last hours of the day discussing the situation, Nireariel did not disturb them, she knew that they had to make plans and prepare for the meeting. Nireariel was not a lady born within some high ranking noble family, what she knew of the past was what she had read after she married Thranduil. She knew of the great lords of the past and their achievements and she had often thought that history probably had been sugar coated, and in some cases a lot too. Would these once so powerful ellyn be able to see the reality behind this or would it turn into a veritable cock fight? Thranduil feared that it would and she knew that his father shared his doubt. They had to keep their own home safe first and foremost but she knew that many already had died, and many more would die if there were another attack.

He was a bit drunk when he came to their chamber that night and he was extremely amorous in spite of their very intensive love making the night before. She knew him, he was trying to forget his fear within her embrace and she felt the same way. She did not know when she would see him again and so she spent the night caught between sleep and awake, not able to find neither rest nor peace.

The morning came just too fast and they got up and dressed, Thranduil had no appetite but he ate nonetheless, he needed his strength. Oropher had advised him to dress in a simple and yet elegant style with dark colors. They would not be able to outshine the others assembled, but they could stand out in the crowd. If the others were to act and look like peacocks they would be hawks. Thranduil had liked the idea and he grinned when he thought of how the council would react to them. He and his father and son would probably look like harbingers of doom but someone had to convince the others of the seriousness of this.

He had his horse ready and kissed Nireariel goodbye, he did not want to leave her behind but he had to. He had told Astarion to keep the family safe and Astar had already moved into the palace. The old warrior had gotten a lot better when he came to Aman, he was stronger and his scars had almost vanished but alas, not even the blessed realm allowed his missing leg to regrow. But Thranduil trusted his father in law and knew that Astar would fight to the very death for his loved ones. And he had just as much experience as himself, it was valuable now. Oropher was already mounted on his huge grey gelding and Legolas had a smaller black stallion which was pawing the ground eager to go. Thranduil hugged his wife and Astarion, Raina was not there, she had refused to leave her chambers for the last days and he was worried about her but there was little he could do. Nireariel smiled at him, there were tears in her eyes. "Return to me, that is an order!"

He tried to smile. "Of course my love, I will return. Fear not!"

She touched his foot lovingly. "I will keep this place safe, do whatever you must do and then come back to us all. If anything happens to you I will never be able to forgive you!"

He nodded, bent down from saddle and kissed her gently. "I know, and I fear your wrath too much to be doing something stupid."

She smiled but there was sadness in the smile. "I do think I have heard that before, you ellyn are all the same. But have a safe journey and put those so called wise in their place. Show them that one warrior of new Greenwood is worth twenty of theirs."

Thranduil just nodded and kicked his huge bay stallion into a gallop. He did not look back as he rode through the gates but that was just so that she wouldn't see that his eyes were threatening to overflow with tears. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest but there was no turning back now. He knew that he had to do something, or else history would repeat itself and everything they had fought to achieve would crumble and be lost. His son and father rode right behind him and some soldiers followed them. He had no idea of what they would encounter but he feared that the next days would be challenging indeed. He would rather face an army of orcs but the council would soon enough learn that he hadn't gotten soft as so many others had, nor had he lost his flaring temper or wrath. No, he was still a king and he would demand that they respected him. If they didn't then to hell with them all, new Greenwood would survive if the rest of Valinor were to burn! That was a sacred oath he would be willing to swear and his face was grim as he put his horse onto the right path.


	3. Like a fox in a henhouse

**Chapter Three: Like a fox in a henhouse**

What worth has wisdom

If no one heeds its truth

What have we learned

If the past is to be forgotten

What future do we face

If we turn our backs to what we are

He was pacing up and down the floors looking like a thundercloud, his eyes were shooting blue lightning and his fists clenched so hard it hurt. His father sat in a chair with a chalice of wine, it had been emptied several times already and his son stood by a window and stared out at the city with distant eyes. The first day of meetings had been exactly the way he had feared that it would. It had been a chaos, everybody wanted to press their own opinions and beliefs forth and refused to listen to others and Thranduil had almost wanted to just leave there and then. They would never find an answer this way, the only thing they would achieve was to create an utter mess and nothing would be gained.

Oropher sighed and stared at the red fluid in his chalice, he made a grimace. Normally he would never allow himself to get drunk, but now he needed it. Legolas turned away from the window, his face looked strange, he was normally never this somber. "They are blind to the truth ada, what can we possibly hope to achieve here?"

Thranduil sighed and sat down, his heart was beating in a wild rhythm and he knew that he'd better calm down before he did something very stupid. "I don't know ion nin, not any longer!"

Oropher placed the chalice on a table by the chair, got up and placed a map on the bigger table in the middle of the room. "If they only had the brains to see the pattern, but they refuse to think about anything else than their own glory. And the Valar are helpless too, I would have guessed that an attack within their own land would make them take some sort of action but no, I am disappointed to say the least."

Thranduil made an ugly grimace. "They are afraid, that is the truth. They are being forced to face the unknown, something of which they have no control and I think it makes them almost paralyzed."

Legolas nodded. "Yes, I think so to. Manwe did not even send one of the maiar, only a courier."

Oropher pointed at the map. "There has been four attacks so far, and they have followed a line, from east towards the west. And all the cities that have been attacked have been rather large, no small villages. It should tell them something but they just argue about who's got the best weapons and most experience."

Thranduil tried to shake the stiffness out of his hands. "I hope tomorrow will be better, they have clattered their weapons now and should have been able to determine who's the stronger one. They remind me of a herd of stags during the rut, everybody trying to impress the others with the size of their antlers."

Oropher grinned. "Or the size of something else, but I get your point. So far the attacks has happened in cities that are less important, just wait until something happens to someone in family with any of them."

Legolas sat down, he looked restless. "I fear that it will escalate, but we need to know more, much more. Why are we being attacked, and by what?"

Oropher bit his lower lip. "They have sent riders to the closest city that was burned, they will return tomorrow, maybe we will learn more then?"

Thranduil just nodded. "Let's hope so. Not knowing is almost torture, if we are to do anything at all except crawl together like frightened children we have to know our enemy."

Oropher smiled, the grin was melancholic. "Yes, know your foes and keep them close, I taught you that son and I know I taught you well. But if that gang of hot heads gets their will they will try to fight the way we used to, with huge armies and battles lasting for days. We all know where that will lead us!"

Thranduil shivered, he could still see it, the battlefield which had claimed his father's life and the lives of so many others. He had lost two thirds of his men back then, Greenwood had never been able to get over the loss of so many warriors. Legolas sighed. "They spoke a lot today but said very little, I have never seen so much time being spent doing absolutely nothing. It would have been more rewarding watching the craftsmen paint the walls of this palace."

Oropher nodded and sat down. "Yes, a heck of a lot more interesting, but I noticed something rather odd today, while we had a break. It did not appear as though the commoners know much about this, somehow they have managed to put a lid on it."

Thranduil turned his head around with a shocked expression. "What? Oh Gods, just wait until the news reaches the streets, there will be panic."

Oropher lifted his chalice again, he drank deeply. "Exactly, and what's worse, the rumors will be flying like flies above a carcass. And with no real information it will get nasty fast."

Thranduil felt tired, very tired. All of a sudden his many millennia of life came back to haunt him, he felt old. Legolas bowed his head. "It is getting late and my head hurts, it was like listening to a huge murder of crows. I think I will retire for the night."

Oropher got onto his legs again, rather unsteadily. "So will I, lets pray that tomorrow will shed some more light on the nature of the problem. I hate being stuck in the dark."

Thranduil closed his eyes, yes, a good night sleep would be nice but he feared that he would be unable to get any real rest. He had a strange and very uneasy feeling within his heart, as if he heard something he just could not separate from the background noises. It was eating away at him. "Sleep well, I will see you tomorrow"

Legolas went by him and petted him on his shoulder, he could see the worry in his son's eyes. It was not a very pleasant sight and he wished that he could have removed this burden from him but they needed him there. It was a fact that they were forest elves, that they were perhaps less civilized than the others and with less of the fine culture and history of the other elven groups but it also brought with it benefits the others lacked. Being a bit feral also means being more alert and able to see things differently. Back in the Greenwood of old his warriors had fought not in huge battles with thousands upon thousands of warriors but in smaller groups with both stealth and speed. Quick attacks upon the enemy, retreat and then a new surprise attack from another angle, guerrilla technique at its best and he had a creeping suspicion that this was the preferred style of this new enemy, whoever or whatever it was. He went to his room, missed Nireariel deeply but felt better knowing that she was safe within their stronghold.

It was not very likely that such a small settlement would be attacked, he just prayed that his assumptions were right.

The next morning they were awakened by some servants who seemed to be extremely curious as to what this meeting was about. They all saw how these elves tried to hang around to eavesdrop on those who were assembled and Thranduil had to grin and shake his head. The servants usually knew more about their masters than the masters ever could imagine. They had a quick breakfast and Thranduil had go grin when he saw his father's expression. It was rather obvious that Oropher suffered from a serious headache and had a rather bad temper this morning. He was grumpy to say the least. Legolas was very quiet and didn't say much and Thranduil felt the tension in the air as they entered the huge meeting hall. There were elves gathered in groups everywhere and he felt that their small group of just three drowned in the crowd. How could they possibly hope to get the attention of these kings and warriors of old?

Thranduil was about to find a seat by the table when he felt someone approaching him, he turned around and saw Elrond and he was accompanied by Glorfindel. The golden haired warrior bowed his head and Thranduil could see that he was worried, there was something dark within the warrior's eyes and Thranduil's keen eyes did notice that Glorfindel was armed. He carried two long knives discretely attached to his thighs and the hilts were covered by his long tunic. Elrond sat down next to Thranduil, he saw that many threw suspicious glances at them. The peredhel sighed and there were some lines on his face Thranduil had never seen before, Elrond looked scared.

"This is a nightmare Thranduil, I cannot describe it any differently. Four cities destroyed! And we haven't got the slightest clue as to by what or how."

Thranduil nodded, Legolas and Oropher had sat down next to him and they both looked very determined and concentrated. "Will the riders they sent out return today?"

Elrond rested his head in his hands, he nodded. "Yes, they could be here any minute. I just pray that they will bring some useful information."

Thranduil noticed the stress hidden within Elrond's voice, he remembered how calm and collected the peredhel had been even in times of war and destruction and this change frightened him a bit. There was something Elrond knew which he hadn't been told anything about yet. He bowed a little down, whispered. "There is more isn't it?"

Elrond nodded slowly and Thranduil could see a strange expression within his eyes. "Yes, there has been attacks on earth as well. Four of them!"

Thranduil gasped but managed to hide his emotions, as always. "What?!"

Elrond pretended to be straightening the sleeves of his robe, he did not look at Thranduil at all. "You heard me, four attacks. All in cities of medium size, from east towards the west and all happened at night. Mithrandir and some other wizard has managed to camouflage it as gas explosions and such so that the mortals don't understand that they have been attacked by something but it is just a question of time before all hell breaks loose."

Thranduil sighed, he felt like he suddenly needed fresh air although he just had arrived. Legolas was leaning towards Elrond. "Isn't your sons on earth at the moment?"

Elrond made a grimace. "Elladan is yes, Elrohir is with a group of scholars visiting Lithui. It was Elladan who send us the information about the attacks."

Thranduil tried to breathe, to think clearly. "Is there anything to be learned from this information?"

Elrond took a quick look around as if to make sure that nobody was listening in to their conversation. "The attacks happened at exactly the same time as the attacks here in Aman, and they all happened two hours after sunset. "

Oropher had a grin on his face, one that explained why some had described him as more than a little mad back when he was a king. "There is no sun in Lithui, whoever it is that is behind it, they are probably not too fond of sunlight!"

Thranduil nodded. "Yes, that conclusion is rather obvious. We know too darn little about that place. Could it be that the contact we have established between our worlds has caused this?"

Elrond looked dubious, he shook his head. "I doubt that my friend, if it had then this would have happened earlier I think. And the inhabitants of Lithui have never mentioned anything like this. But then again, it is a vast area and even they don't know all of it."

Thranduil sighed and Oropher unrolled the map he had brought with him. "If this pattern continues then the next place to be attacked will be this city here, Almar"

He pointed at the map and Elrond swallowed hard. "I pray you are wrong, Elladan's fiancée lives there."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Oh, he is engaged? I thought he liked…well. You know, males?"

Elrond had a peculiar expression upon his face. "That's what everybody thought yes, but it turns out that my son apparently has a taste for both genders, and he met this rather special elleth and well, he fell like a ton of bricks."

Legolas grinned. "I would never have thought that in a million years, Elrohir is as straight as a ruler but I always suspected that Elladan would find some handsome ellon in the end."

Elrond nodded. "Yes, but if something happens to her he will be heartbroken."

Legolas had always been fond of Elronds two twin sons and they had been friends since he was an elfling but they had drifted apart after they arrived in Aman. "Who is she? I would love to meet the elleth able to catch Elladan's attention."

Elrond had to grin. "Her name is Celegeth and she is the daughter of an elleth who is born her and one of my warriors who was lost during the war of the last alliance. A nice young elleth but she is insisting on becoming a warrior and she has temper enough to frighten a balrog."

Legolas laughed. "Sounds like quite a female."

The peredhel nodded. "I thought my son was crazy at first but now I am thankful for the fact that they have met. She can provide him with some much needed determination and not the least purpose."

Thranduil sighed. "All that is well and good but please, let's focus on the task ahead shall we?"

Elrond nodded. "I have already ordered our colonies on earth to be prepared, none of them seems to be in danger but I want them to be ready just in case."

Oropher nodded. "A wise decision, until we know what we are up against that's all we can do, prepare for the worst."

There was some commotion by the doors, Thranduil could see that the groups standing there spread and he got on his feet, stared at the three warriors who walked straight up towards the top of the table where Finwe was seated. Thranduil frowned, the legendary king had actually been rather passive throughout the meeting so far and he wasn't sure if he liked that. Everybody was suddenly gathering around the three like bees around a rose and the warriors were trying to make the crowd shut up. It was almost impossible, everybody tried to ask questions at the same time and Oropher just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Elrond sighed and hid his face within his hands and Thranduil took a deep breath, he was ready to shout something less than polite but Glorfindel acted first. The golden haired warrior was suddenly standing on top of one of the tables and he threw his head back and yelled, a piercing warcry that made everybody just shut up, turn around and stare. Glorfindel sent the crowd a rather menacing glance, he was practically sneering. "Be quiet, let them talk! We will all know what they have discovered when this is over! Now, be seated or I will throw you out of this room!"

Everybody obeyed and Glorfindel sent Thranduil a quick grin, the king could see a glimpse of mischievous fire in his deep blue eyes. The three warriors looked at the balrog slayer with an expression of gratitude before they bowed and turned towards the crowd, many were staring at Glorfindel with obvious nervousness. They had seen the blades he was carrying and everybody knew very well what he could do with them. The officer among the three looked a bit pale and his face told them that he had seen something rather incredible. "Honored members of the council, we have been to Ennir and we bring some information which may be hard to believe. "

Finwe just nodded. "Tell us what you saw, don't leave anything out."

The officer closed his eyes for a second but his voice was steady and he did not look away but faced the many eyes without flinching. "First of all, there has been done a body count. Just in Ennir they found over six hundred dead."

There was a moan coming from the crowd and Oropher was moving his lips but he spoke no words, Thranduil guessed that he was praying. The officer continued. "The fact is that more than twice that many of the cities inhabitants are missing, completely gone. It is apparently the same with the other three cities."

Some were starting to shout again and Glorfindel growled, everybody shut up immediately. "Are the inhabitants being kept as prisoners? Are this enemy interested in capturing slaves?"

Thranduil did not recognize the ellon who spoke but he guessed that it had to be someone who had been living in Aman his entire life due to his Vanyar appearance and stylish clothing. The officer looked down. "We sent a small patrol out of the city, just to check the surrounding area for clues. They found about one hundred bodies just twenty minutes away from the main gate, all dead and I am sorry to say this, all more or less eaten."

There was a dead silence, nobody moved and you could have heard a pin drop, it looked rather bizarre, almost a hundred wise and mighty elven lords and they all looked as if they had seen a ghost or something. They just stared with huge eyes and some were rather pale. "Oh gods, oh no! It cannot be true, eaten?!"

The officer nodded slowly. "Yes my lord, eaten. Some were just bones, picked clean. It appears that the attacks were to gather food, not wealth or anything else."

Finwe swallowed and Thranduil could see that he was shivering slightly. "What would do something that horrible? What are we fighting?"

The officer nodded to one of the other two warriors, he pulled a small backpack from his back and opened it, took out some object covered in cloth.

"We found this underneath a collapsed building, it appears to be some sort of weapon but we have no idea of what it is made from."

He unwrapped the thing and there was a collective gasp. Thranduil had never seen anything like it, and he could only guess that the thing was being used the same way as a sword would. "What the hell is this?"

It was Amroth who spoke and Thranduil knew that he was a potential ally if need be, he would support Oropher and Thranduil's opinions in this. The officer held the object up so everybody could see it, many just stared. Thranduil could immediately use his sense of logic and learn a few things of this enemy. First of all, whatever it was that wielded this weapon the thing had to be bigger than an elf but in possession of far less technological knowledge. It was a vicious weapon no doubt but it contained no metal whatsoever. It was what had to be some sort of antler shaped into an outstretched s shape and pieces of what had to be some sort of volcanic glass had been placed within grooves in the material. This was a weapon that would leave horrific wounds, nothing like the clean cuts of a sword and he felt a chill run down his neck. Primitive did not need to be less efficient and he saw the blood on the sharp shards of black rock and had to swallow hard.

The officer spoke again, he let one of the soldiers hold the weird sword. "We found footprints, it appears that the enemy just showed up out of nowhere in the middle of the night and just killed everything that moved. Even pets were found dead. Whatever it was it went berserk, and it was many of them too."

Finwe was pale, he stared into the table. "How did the footprints look like, are we dealing with trolls perhaps?"

The officer looked a bit uncertain. "My lords, I have only seen this land, I have never been to Middle earth. But the tracks suggest that the beings were at least ten feet tall and the feet appeared to have just two toes, like the foot of a weird animal of some sort. They were heavy and we could smell a very unpleasant odor there. It was as if something was rotting away."

Glorfindel made a grimace. "So, they are big, smelly and nasty and like to eat their meat raw. That sounds like trolls to me."

One of the scholars hawked and everybody turned their heads and stared at the man. "No, I don't think this is trolls. First of all, the attacks are too well organized, trolls do not cooperate very well. Second of all, they don't use weapons. And third of all, who has ever heard of so many of those things assembled at once?"

Finwe nodded. "You are right, trolls do not work well in groups, they are too egocentric for that."

Glorfindel caught the gaze of the officer. "What was the general impression you got when you saw the destruction? Was it planned or just random?"

The officer swallowed. "Random, very random. But it had some sort of plan to it still. It was as if these creatures who did it had someone controlling them. "

Oropher made a grimace. "I think it sounds a bit like what you'd expect to find whenever a fox enters a henhouse. It will just kill until there is nothing more left alive."

Finwe smiled. "An excellent metaphor yes. But then we do know a thing or two about our enemy don't we? They are organized but just barely, they attack at night and they are after meat, not anything else. They are probably very primitive and have weapons but not of metal."

Someone mumbled. "Still they sound like a real threat to me!"

Glorfindel made a grimace. "Nobody has said anything about these creatures not being a threat, but we still know too little to know what to do."

Finwe nodded, he was staring at the crowd and Thranduil could see that he was trying to come to some sort of conclusion. "We have to send someone to Lithui to gather more knowledge, if the inhabitants there knows anything we need that information."

Some shrugged while others looked a bit more enthusiastic. "Then who should we send?"

Finwe sent the elf who asked a rather menacing glance. "We'll get back to that question later."

The officer bowed and turned around, he was obviously ready to leave but Glorfindel stopped him. "Have you got any estimations of how many the attackers were?"

The officer looked a bit helpless. "No, I am no forest dweller, I am not that good at tracking. It's anybody's guess really, but at least two or three hundred."

Glorfindel was thinking as a warrior should, Thranduil admired his calm appearance. "Had anyone had time to fight back? Did you see anybody who had been armed?"

The officer was a bit green and the two soldiers swallowed, they were obviously not too happy about having to remember what they had seen. One of them, a rather willowy elf with red hair and blue eyes tried to smile. "No, it looked as if it had happened so fast that nobody really had time to understand what it was that was happening. I think that may have been a mercy, at least to the children."

Many groaned and had to look down, the idea of children being murdered like this was heart breaking and Thranduil could see that some of the elves had to leave the room. Their race had not suffered such a loss of civilian lives since the kin slayings and Thranduil could see the dark expression upon Finwe's face. Elrond was staring into the table as if it was his last hope, it was obvious that he was trying to keep calm. Thranduil could see that the peredhel had gone pale and his eyes were distant and filled with fear and grief. Finwe was about to ask everybody to sit down once more when the door at the end of the room burst open and a courier ran forth, he was panting and covered with sweat and dust. He had obviously been riding very hard. "My lords, there has been a new attack, this very night!"

Finwe was on his legs within the blink of an eye and he was pale like a ghost. "Where?"

The courier was kneeling, he panted and had problems talking. "Almar, west of Ennir."

There was a sudden outburst of voices and Oropher caught Thranduils gaze, his eyes were ablaze with bitter realizations. They were right, it followed a pattern. Elrond was apparently completely paralyzed and Thranduil grasped him and shook him rather roughly. "Get a grip, we have to go there to see for ourselves what this is. There is hope, she could be alive."

Elrond blinked, he was shivering. "Yes, yes, she may be alive. We have to go!"

There was an exodus of elves trying to get through the doors all at once and Thranduil swore and opened a window, they were on the third floor but there was a tall elm growing next to the wall and he and his father and son had little problems jumping over to the branches and climbing down. Elrond was more hesitant but he managed to get down in one piece. Thranduil raced towards the stables, they had to get their horses before someone else took them and he wanted to be among the first to arrive. The stable workers got the horses ready and Elrond got a tall long legged mare which appeared to be quite a handful. He did not look all that happy about that but Thranduil knew that the peredhel was an excellent rider. They rode out through the gate when the other elves reached the stables, they heard that someone tried to reason with them and get them to understand that everybody didn't need to go but not a single soul listened. They all wanted to leave and see for themselves and some had family there.

Thranduil allowed the horse to run at full speed, it was several hours ride to reach this city but he did not care, they could not allow themselves to be slowed down. They had to get there before important clues were lost forever and he knew that his horse could run for almost an entire day without collapsing. He hoped that they would get to the attacked city before noon and he shouted at people on the road to make them clear the way. All the cities had been on the east side of the great chain of mountains which had been erected to keep Morgoth out and he feared that the attacks would continue on the other side. New Greenwood was placed south of the pass through the montains, they had ridden through it when they were on their way to the meeting and the mountains had felt like a security back then, a barrier capable to stop any enemy. Well, probably not this one, he shook his head and tried to think only of the task ahead.

Almar was a city placed at the base of the Pelori mountains, it was a very idyllic place normally with rolling low hills covering the landscape. This area was known for growing grapes for making wine and some of the best wine of Aman came from the vineyards surrounding the city. Thranduil saw the smoke from afar and his heart dropped, he felt the taste of bile in his mouth. This place was not built to keep anything out at all, it was really just a gathering of buildings around a central square and it had grown in size over the years and developed a certain rustic charm many found endearing. He had been there once, just fifty years after they arrived in Aman. He had marveled at the skill of the wine makers and organized for twenty barrels to be delivered to his home each year. The buildings had all been made from the clay of the slow flowing river which was meandering through the gentle landscape and they had a very soft and nice color of orange. Mixed with the greenery it had made this city look very inviting and he feared what he soon would see.

They saw it when they reached the top of one of the hills around the city, huge flocks of crows and ravens were circling together with vultures and he could hear that Legolas was swearing, he wondered where his son had learned those words, it had to be that dwarf who had taught him such exquisitely obscene phrases. Oropher moaned and Thranduil swallowed hard again and again not to become sick in public. There were a few people on the road, heading towards the city but only a few. He knew that most were too afraid to dare to go closer to the obvious destruction. Their horses were panting and sweating and as soon as they reached the city gate they dismounted and let the horses loose within a paddock. They saw no other horses there, not even cows or sheep and Thranduil got a freezing sensation that everything had been slaughtered. Elrond was mumbling prayers and his face was grey, the dark eyes were filled with horror. Thranduil had seen death before, lots of it, too much of it. But he had never seen anything like this, nothing this utterly horrible. There were corpses everywhere, the buildings looked as if they had been hit by siege machines. It was just ruins and death to be seen and the stench was already strong. Legolas was walking as if he was in a trance and Oropher had already said goodbye to his breakfast. No wonder since he had been rather hung over from yesterday.

Thranduil tried to think fast and analyze what he saw, it was not easy for his senses were utterly overwhelmed by the sheer violence of it all. Blood had filled the gutters and it was shining like red jewels in the sunlight. He kicked aside a broken door, underneath it was the body of a small child, a girl. She had a nightgown on, was clutching a doll in a stiff pale hand and her eyes were staring blindly into the skies, still filled with a mix of horror and pain and most of all disbelief. Her head was unharmed, her braids with colorful beads in them formed almost a sort of halo around it and Thranduil gulped and turned around, too late. Her midsection was more or less missing, as is something had taken a huge bite out of her, blood and entrails were pooled around the huge gaping wound and he could see her spine and hipbone through the mangled mass of tissue. He fell onto his knees, heaving heavily and shivering as he too got rid of everything he had eaten earlier that day. He felt a hand on his shoulder, someone held his hair and stroked his head. "It is ok Ada, I feel like puking too."

Legolas had tears in his eyes and he was ashen grey, he had never seen his son looking like this. "What could possibly have done this?"

He felt his voice shiver, Oropher was walking around and he appeared to make mental notes of everything he saw. "Look at the wounds, most have just one, see? As if some huge thing has bitten chunks out of them and then discarded of the rests."

Legolas nodded. "I was visiting the coast once, and I saw the remains of a whale the sharks had attacked, those wounds looked a lot like these."

Thranduil managed to get a grip on himself, it was just that the sight of a child, an innocent child this horribly mutilated had thrown him out of balance mentally. It was almost a sort of sacrilege, a crime against life itself. "These things are huge, bigger than an ordinary troll whatever they are."

Elrond had just stood there, without moving and his eyes were staring into nothing, Thranduil realized that the peredhel had gone into some sort of shock. Legolas grasped Elrond by the shoulder and Elrond yelped and blinked, his eyes were overflowing with tears. "Dead, all dead"

Oropher had a grim expression on his face, Thranduil had only seen it one time before, when they marched against the very gates of Mordor, into the battle that would claim the kings life. "We can't know that for sure, we have to check it out."

Elrond nodded and started to run, he was heading towards a part of the city where many of the craftsmen lived and Thranduil was stunned to see that even the jewelry stores were just leveled with the ground but nothing was stolen. They saw several dead horses, all more or less ripped apart and some dogs too. And dead elves, some had been in bed when they were attacked while others appeared to have been sitting together enjoying conversations and song. Thranduil found that he could do this if he didn't think of them as people, just as pieces of dead meat. If he started to wonder about who they had been he would go insane, he made himself as cold as he was rumored to be and tried to be efficient. He saw several footprints where the ground was soft, they were huge and strange and didn't look like anything he had seen before. Elrond stopped in front of what had been a small home, the roof had caved in and smoke rose from the remains. He panted and looked around himself with wild eyes, then he shouted out. "Celegeth? Miria? Nierion?"

There was a rattle in the debris and Legolas pulled his knives, he stared at the pile of boards. What appeared was a young elleth, she was bleeding from a huge gash in her left arm and she had another wound on the top of her head. She was wearing just the remains of a gown and she was covered with blood. She had a sword in her hand and she shivered and stared at them with huge eyes. Elrond let out a sob. "Celegeth, you are alive!"

The elleth whimpered, her eyes told them that she was very close to tipping over into madness. Elrond rushed forth and grasped her, she dropped the sword and her eyes were still out of focus. "It killed them, it killed them"

Her voice was a mere whisper and Thranduil saw that she was going into shock. She needed a healer and that fast, Elrond should be able to help her but he wasn't in shape to do anything right now. He was too terrified and too emotionally unstable. "What killed them girl? Can you describe it?"

She turned her head towards him, she was very pretty and he could very well understand that Elrond's son had fallen for this elleth, she appeared to be both elegant and strong and she moved with grace even now. "It just appeared, out of nowhere! There was a flash of light and they were everywhere, they just grasped people and…and ate them!"

She started to shiver and Elrond tried to calm her down but to no prevail, the elleth was getting hysterical and Legolas surprised his father by slapping her in the face, rather hard. "Focus Celegeth, what were they? What did they look like? Were someone controlling them?"

She swallowed, she had blood on her lips and Thranduil cringed, she probably had some internal injuries as well. "I heard ada scream, I was weaving and I had only a candle but I put it out and found my sword. It broke through the wall, through the wall. It didn't even use the door!"

Legolas nodded, his voice soft and spinning. "Yes, and so?"

She stared down at the sword at her feet. "I knew that ada was dead and I heard naneth scream too, but I didn't want to die like a sheep for the butchers knife so I attacked it. "

Thranduil just gasped. "You did what? And you survived?"

She nodded, her eyes were so black, so unnatural. It looked crazy. "I killed it, ada taught me well. It hit me but I killed it, I killed it"

Oropher was staring at the elleth with wide eyes. "Where is it girl, show us!"

She shivered and pointed at the ruins of the house. "Underneath that wall, I hid in the chimney after I killed it, I could not fight another one."

Oropher rushed over, grasped onto pieces of boards and bricks and tossed them aside and the other ellyn helped him. What they uncovered made them all back away, they stared at the sight with eyes filled with disbelief and disgust. Thranduil pressed his sleeve against his nose, the creature was stinking badly and it was already decomposing. Oropher was slack jawed in amazement and he could see a sort of bizarre fascination within Legolas gaze. "What in the name of Melkor's minions is that thing?!"


	4. The wounded warrior

**Chapter Four: The wounded warrior**

Like a dragon with broken wings

My fire is still burning hot and fierce

Like a hawk trapped in a golden cage

I still dream of soaring free

Like a dragon with broken wings

I still have my fury my wrath

You cannot keep me in chains for

I will go down fighting

And my enemy will fear my flames

(Ravenne's POV)

She was staring at what had to be the worst mayhem she had ever encountered, she had real problems even believing what she saw. Others from the colony were there with her, and she could see Mithrandir and one of the other Istari trying to place the right kind of spell around the site so that the mortals didn't realize what this really was. She sighed and wiped her eyes, they felt sore because of the smoke and her tears. The scene looked like a nightmare of some sort, she had a strange suspicion that her father may have seen something like it, during the many battles he had been in. It had been a quiet little suburb just outside of a larger city along the bank of one of the great lakes and she was really wondering about how this was to be disguised. It was hard to explain something like this as anything else than what it really was. The bodies were mutilated beyond imagination and she had felt like puking several times. Luckily this attack had not been a huge one, perhaps two or three hundred deaths.

She had a sense of confusion, it was as if this attack had been interrupted, as if the culprits had been stopped before they had time to do all that they wanted to do. She raised her head and saw that the wizards were done with their work, hopefully the humans would believe the illusion they had cast upon this place. Ravenne shook her head, she was so tired right now. This was the fifth attack they knew of and she knew that this had to have happened back in Aman as well. It was terrible to think about and she worried about her family and their safety. She knew that her father would do anything within his power to keep them all safe but having seen what she had she had started to doubt that any place could be kept safe from these assailants, whatever they were. The houses were levelled with the ground, cars burning, trees torn out of the ground. It looked as if some sort of tornado had passed through the area but there had been no storms there for weeks. Still she knew that the wizards were powerful enough to make everybody believe that some freakish natural event had taken place.

She wandered through what had been a nice garden when she saw that one of the others came rushing towards her, it was one of the other inhabitants of the colony, an elleth named Verya and she looked as if she had seen something really out of the ordinary. She shouted when she saw Ravenne. "Rav, come quick. I think I know why this attack was over so quickly!"

Ravenne ran towards Verya who turned around and set course towards the backyard of what had been a very nice house. The thing Ravenne saw made her stop and just stare. It was summer but an area of the backyard was covered with snow, more than a feet deep. It looked as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and cut out a piece of another world and then just dropped it into this backyard. The border between the snow covered ground and the asphalt of the drive way was so sharp and clearly defined it looked unreal. The area was not large, perhaps five meters by six meters across and some bushes and leaves were protruding from the snow which was trampled by many huge strange feet. But it wasn't the snow in itself that had caused Verya to react, in the middle of the snowy area lay two bodies covered with blood and they were definitely not human and absolutely not the monsters which had done this.

Ravenne walked closer in a sort of fascinated trance like state, she had never seen one of the Ce'agar elves before and she felt sorry that her first encounter with the race had to be with two corpses. Verya looked excited. "Look, I bet they tried to interfere in some way and was pulled along with the monsters, ended up here with them. "

Ravenne nodded. She could see that both were armed and their blades covered with a thick greenish goo that had to be the blood of the things responsible for this. She swallowed hard. Dead elves, she would never get used to that sight. One was laying on his back, his hand clenching his throat which appeared to be cut with some sort of very ragged blade, he also had a terrible gash in his chest and his left arm was severed right beneath the elbow. His eyes were staring into the sky and she had to look away, the expression of intense fear and pain on his face was terrible to behold. He was wearing some sort of leather armor, very simple and not at all able to protect anyone against whatever it was that these two had been up against, it looked very primitive and yet it had a sort of elegance to it that Ravenne found fascinating. It was obvious that this race had the elven sense of beauty. Other than the primitive armor he wore just knee high boots, a loincloth of thin leather and a belt. If the place he came from was snowy he had to be a hardy creature in deed, it had to be freezing cold.

Ravenne studied the face with a mixture of pity and interest, he was beautiful in an unusual way, the features a bit more rough than on an ordinary elf but still perfect, he looked very masculine and appeared to be rather young. The eyes were green, in a deep dark color that looked unnatural and since his mouth was open she could see that his teeth were unbelievably white and perfect but also rather sharp, as if he was some sort of predator. She suddenly realized that she mourned his death, although she never had met him before, he was just so…perfect. He had to be just a couple of inches short of being seven feet tall and the body was in perfect shape with strong defined muscles and yet he was as sleek and elegant as a huge cat. His hands were long and beautiful and he had long legs and a wide chest. Ravenne saw that his skin was covered with weird symbols here and there, tattoos. Ordinary elves would never do that but she guessed that it was a part of this race's culture. He also had several pieces of black rock placed in the lower edge of his ear and she winced when she saw it. Elven ears are extremely sensitive and to have them pierced like that had to hurt like hell.

The ellons hair was very long and thick, just as silky in appearance as the usual elven hair but it appeared that each strand was a bit thicker than on elves of Ravenne's race. It had a deep dark brown color and she did notice something weird. He had a single very long and thin braid starting from behind his right ear and it appeared to reach his knees. Verya saw that she stared and she nodded. "He is a bowman, they grow a long braid like that, to make bowstrings."

Ravenne frowned. "They use their own hair as bowstrings?!"

Verya nodded. "Yes, it is very strong by the way, they are fascinating creatures."

Ravenne knew that Verya had been to Lithui and suddenly she envied the other elleth the experience. Verya continued. "They always work in pairs, one archer and one sword fighter, it is the basic unit of their people, or at least their defensive forces."

Ravenne walked over towards the other corpse, he laid flat on his belly and the ground was covered with blood. She felt a strange and intense feeling of grief, this should not have happened. "Then I guess this one is a sword fighter?"

A very elegant blade lay in the snow next to the dead ellon and she picked it up, it looked almost as if dwarves had made it and it was light but yet very strong, she did not recognize the metal it was made of. Verya nodded. "Yes, I guess he is. A real pity, these ellyn are so gorgeous, any elleths dream come true I would say."

Verya bowed down and grasped the ellon by the shoulder, began to turn the body around. He was wearing exactly the same simple armor and clothes as the other one but he was even taller and his hair was night black and gathered into many thin braids. Ravenne gasped, he had several terrible wounds in his stomack and what had to be some sort of spear shaft protruded from his chest just beneath the sternum, angled upwards towards the heart. The sight made her cringe and she felt tears against her cheeks. His face was covered with blood and she felt a sudden urge to bend down and wipe it off him. Verya had gone quiet, she stared at the tattoos with narrow eyes, then she bent down and appeared to check the back of his right hand for something. Ravenne stared at her. "What are you doing?"

Verya bit her lip. "I have a bad feeling, a very bad bad feeling. I think I might know who this is!"

Ravenne just gasped. "What?"

Verya made a grimace. "I have not met him, but I have heard of him. And if I don't misinterpret this mark here" She pointed at a strange tattoo on his hand. "He is of the right clan, and he looks suspiciously like the one I fear he is"

Ravenne squinted, she stared at the mark. It almost looked like Cirth runes but it had more rounded shapes. "Clan? Are they divided into clans?"

Verya nodded, she got up and waved her hand, shouted at the others who were going through the rubble. When someone answered she told them to go get Lerinar and off they went. "Lerinar has met this clan, he knows who everybody is."

Verya sighed and her eyes were sad. "He is so damn pretty, don't you think? Ah, back to your question, yes they are divided into clans. Five of them to be precise and those are the clan of the _Mhirbak_, wolves. The clan of the _Fhitab_, elkes. The clan of the_ Uilar_, cats. The clan of the _Imari_, hawks and then the clan of the dragon, the amlog. These two are of the amlog clan, the smallest but most powerful one."

Ravenne frowned. "The smallest one and yet most powerful?"

Verya nodded. "Yes, it is not so much the number of people in a clan that determines its strengths as it is the strength of those within it. This clan is renowned to have the best warriors, they are fierce, without fear and they never back down. "

She bent down once more and touched the ellon's forehead, almost lovingly. "Oh I bet you and your ashim did fight well before the end, didn't you? "

Ravenne could see that Verya also was close to tears. "Ashim?"

Verya grinned. "Yes, it means brother by choice. They probably share the same sire but not the same mother. These warriors are raised together to form the bond between the two in a pair, it is rather strong. That way they will always watch each other's back and never leave anyone behind."

Ravenne made a grimace. "Does that mean that they are…ah…well…you know?"

Verya shook her head rather vigorously. "Nope, there is no such thing as a gay Ce'agar. They don't know what homosexuality is, it is unheard of among them."

Ravenne had to grin. "So they are just very very close?"

Verya nodded and sighed, her eyes were sad. "Yes, extremely so, the closest bond possible among their race except from the bond between parent and child. Ashim will share everything, and if one dies the other usually succumbs to his grief soon. It is a mercy that they both are dead, at least they are together."

Ravenne shook her head. "Then they really are different from us indeed."

Verya sent her a small crooked grin. "Oh you have no idea!"

A tall ellon with long sandbrown hair and a pair of kind blue eyes came running, he stopped and stared and his eyes got wide. "Oh gods no, it cannot be!"

He bent down and wiped the blood away from the warriors face. "It is him, damnation! Then we might encounter huge problems"

Verya gasped and she swallowed hard. "Oh den rhacho,(curse it) I feared that."

Ravenne stared at them with confusion. "Who is he?"

Lerinar sighed and shook his head in sorrow. "He is the leader of the amlog clan, in principle the leader of all the Ce'agar. His name is Narriar, fireblood, and that other ellon over there has to be his ashim Hithiar, mistblood"

Ravenne stared down at the face, he did look like a leader yes, strong features and his face looked almost peaceful even in death, as if he had accepted his fate and faced it willingly. Lerinar looked puzzled. "These two are of the best warriors of their race, the enemy must indeed be terrible to have felled two such amazing fighters."

Verya nodded. "They did fight back though, I see blood on their weapons"

Ravenne knelt down, so this ellon was in fact almost like a king or something? It was something disturbingly unworthy about seeing him laying like this, bloody and torn. He should have been alive, strong and vigorous and ready to fight. She felt like she had to do something, make him look less messed up, give him some dignity back. She grasped his hand and placed it on his chest, reached over and took the other one too, tried to fold them together. She let out a small shriek as she suddenly felt his hand grasping hers for a short second. "He moved!"

Lerinar frowned. "No way, it must have been death spasms. He cannot have been dead for long."

Verya was on her knees, she pressed her fingers to his jugular. "Is he really dead? I have seen these Ce'agar elves survive the impossible."

Lerniar shook his head. "Look at all the blood? There cannot be anything left in him? "

Verya just snarled, she was in a frenzy. "He is alive, I feel a pulse but it is so darn weak."

She was on her feet, screamed out loud. "Healer, over here, now!"

Everything turned into a chaos within seconds, suddenly there were elves rushing around everywhere and Ravenne just stood there staring. Someone wrapped the dead ellon in a bodybag and carried him off, healers were swarming around Narriar and he was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and they took him to an awaiting helicopter. Ravenne knew that they would take him back to the colony right away and she felt a sudden urge to follow him. Verya nodded to her. "Go, they will want to know the details and I am busy here, cleaning up."

Ravenne hesitated for a second, then she ran and found a place just before they lifted off.

The colony was a closed neighborhood placed within the more wealthy parts of the city, on paper it belonged to the members of a religious community which didn't allow outsiders access and it was usually respected. They had a small hospital there and it had all the modern equipment it needed but also relied heavily on their elven medicine of old. The helicopter landed on the pad outside of the building and Ravenne ran after the stretcher. The healers were already ready and she had to wait outside of the operation theatre, she wasn't clean enough to enter. She found a chair and sat down, her heart was racing and she had to fight an intense feeling of confusion, what was going on? After a while one of the leaders of the colony approached her, he was an ellon who had lived in Aman his whole life and Ravenne had always found him a bit too soft for her liking. He had nothing of the natural authority a leader should have but she guessed that it is a good thing to have relatives with power when there is a job you want. His name was Luin and he smiled and sat down, she could see that he was upset. "Gods, a Ce'agar here in this world, and in this state. I never thought I would see this day"

Ravenne sighed. "It is bad isn't it?"

Luin nodded slowly. "Yes, it is. He is hovering between life and death at the moment but they are of course doing all they can for him. It is just difficult, their anatomy is a bit different from ours."

Ravenne tried to smile, she should at least be polite. "So I have heard. Will there be problems if he dies?"

Luin let his hand run through his hair, he looked down. "Maybe, his clan is the one with the most influence, they could perhaps put the blame on us for his death, and become hostile. Or they may just refuse to cooperate with our expeditions. That would be bad too. And on the other hand, he has seen this enemy, if he dies we won't know that much about them. His knowledge is vital right now."

Ravenne looked down at the floors, she had a thousand thoughts running through her mind at once and it felt strange. "Then we'd better pray that he survives!"

Luin nodded and got on his feet again. "It is nice that you stay with him Ravenne, you are strong enough to cope with even the most fierce of personalities."

She made a grimace, stay with him? She hadn't really thought that far, she just wanted to know if he was going to make it or not. She leaned back against the wall and tried to relax, it was almost impossible. She had seen things she never had imagined that she would and she was afraid. She had to admit that to herself. There was no point in denying that she had no idea of how this new threat was to be stopped. She sat there dozing for several hours before Verya suddenly rushed in, she looked nervous and sat down, her face a bit pale. "We are done with the cleanup, and the mortals think it was a natural disaster. But they won't believe it if this happens again. How is he?"

Ravenne pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache was developing. "I don't know, they haven't told me yet!"

Verya leaned back against the wall and yawned, she looked very tired. "No surprise, I bet they are sweating like crazy in there. Do you know if any of the healers who has been to Lithui are in there?"

Ravenne shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know anything."

Verya made a grimace. "I hope that there is, if not he is really dead. They are so different from us."

Ravenne turned her head towards Verya. "You have been there? Tell me more about them?"

Verya tipped her head from side to side, she looked as if she couldn't really make up her own mind. "Ok, but where do I start then? What do you want to know?"

Ravenne was thinking fast. "You said that the bond between these ashim was the strongest there is among their people, do they not bond with their mates?"

Verya grinned, the grin was a bit wicked. "No, that is one of the greatest differences between our people and theirs I guess. You see, the mortality rate is high, if they were like us they would be extinct. They are more like humans when it comes to reproduction, or rather, rabbits!"

Ravenne had to giggle. "Really?"

Verya nodded and she leaned towards Ravenne. "Yes. Their race has a completely different attitude to this kind of activities than us, it is just natural. They have to replace their losses and so they focus much of their energy on that."

Ravenne felt herself blush, she saw that Verya noticed. "Don't be so shy Rav, it is very interesting from a scientific point of view. You see, they don't need to merge their faer or something like that to produce offspring, all that is needed is for an egg and a sperm to meet, just as in humans."

Ravenne made a grimace. "That's sounds simple."

Verya tilted her head. "Yes, but it isn't. You see, the females of this race have evolved to be able to produce offspring as often as possible. They don't ovulate like humans do once a month, they have what is known as induced ovulation. It is the act itself that makes them fertile."

Ravenne blushed even deeper. "And that means that?"

Verya giggled. "It means that she has to come to be able to get pregnant, and an ellon who is good in bed is more likely to produce many offspring than one who is a klutz"

Ravenne had to laugh. "I bet that creates a bit of pressure on them!"

Verya nodded and her eyes were serious. "Yes, it does. But that said, they are in fact very energetic, and eager too. It is in their culture and the way they are raised. They don't waste a single opportunity to breed. "

Ravenne nodded. "If what I have heard of the child mortality rate is true that is no wonder. But they do care about their offspring?"

Verya smiled. "Yes, they adore children, and every child is being raised by the entire clan together. They see every adult as an ant or uncle. The parents are fiercely protective of their young, they would gladly die for them and believe me, I would not stand between a Ce'agar mother and her child."

Ravenne could understand that. "What about the fathers? Are they involved in the raising of the young?"

Verya made a grimace. "They are, they are just as fond of their children as the mothers but they do not form relationships as we do. There are no marriages or couples, they bed whoever is willing and then they move on to the next partner. You could perhaps call them extremely promiscuous but it is all in the nature of their race, it is evolution. If an ellon sires a child he will develop a very tight bond with the mother and protect her with his own life until the child is born, then the child gets bonded with him and the mother is more or less forgotten."

Ravenne had to admit that this practice was a bit weird when she considered the customs and rules by which the eldar lived. "How do the ellyn know that they are the father? If the females lay with any male available then it must most certainly be a bit tricky?"

Verya shook her head, leaned against the wall once more. "No, somehow they know if the baby is theirs, call it a sort of instinct. She doesn't even have to tell him she is pregnant, he will know. And to them becoming a father is something of immense importance and joy, they are always so very proud. "

Ravenne frowned. "But children die often there, doesn't that affect them?"

Verya rolled her eyes. "Of course it does, the grief is almost enough to kill them, but still they continue trying, if they manage to get just one child safely through adolescence and into adulthood they have made it."

Ravenne thought that it had to be a very stressful way of living. "That sounds rather terrible if you ask me, having as many children as you possibly can and yet not knowing if any of them will live to become a parent too."

Verya shrugged. "Yes, but it has worked for them for ages. There are very few infertile Ce'agar, and those who are will always be regarded with a huge amount of pity. It is seen as a very sad fate."

Ravenne had to grin. "So they are really a bit like rabbits, always screwing around?"

Verya sighed and she looked a bit as if she didn't really know what to say. "I would not say that, our first explorers were shocked by their customs and apparent lack of moral but they do have rules and to them reproduction is a duty almost, one they enjoy a lot yes, but still a duty."

Ravenne raised an eyebrow. "So they do enjoy sex? It is not just a job that needs to be done?"

Verya huffed. "Of course they enjoy it, and they are rather amazing at it too. To the Ce'agar any female is sacred, they see that ability to give birth as a blessing from the gods themselves and so the words of a female is law. Any ellon would gladly lay down his life for a female, she doesn't have to be related to him, pregnant by him or anything. It is enough that she is female. It is a society where the females have the real power. All the ellyn want is to keep the females and children safe and pleased, that is their task in life."

Ravenne found that puzzling. "And yet their leaders are male?"

Verya sighed and leaned forward again, rested her hands on her knees. "Yes, because nobody will be allowed to lead who isn't willing to take a risk and possibly get killed. To lose an ellon is not as bad as losing a female, an ellon can have many offspring but a female only have one at a time and then it will take at least a few years before she becomes fertile once more. The females are too valuable to be risked in any way."

Ravenne stared at Verya with narrow eyes. "So the females are not allowed to fight?"

Verya shook her head. "No, not while they are in the fertile stage of their lives. But they are trained alongside the ellon before they reach puberty and they also fight once they are done having children. Believe me, they are warriors just as much as the men, but they do dedicate themselves to having children while they can."

Ravenne tried to imagine a society like that but she had problems with it. "So the ellyn serve the ellith?"

Verya nodded and grinned. "Yes, a pregnant elleth is treated as if she was a goddess and every birth is celebrated as if it was a miracle. The ellith can change her clan too if she wants to, she can just move over to another clan but the ellyn can never leave the clan they are born into. It is a way of preventing inbreeding I guess."

Ravenne sent Verya a crooked grin. "A smart move, so most of them have many children?"

Verya made a grimace. "Three or four at the most, remember, these elves usually don't live very long. There are great dangers there and they usually don't have time to produce that many offspring. The females are not that very fertile either, in spite of the small trick with their ovulation. I think nine out of ten attempts results in nothing at all even if they do everything right. And then there is a risk of miscarriage and such too. So it is no wonder why they keep trying as much as possible. To them having sex is like drinking, eating and sleeping, it is just natural and nothing they are ashamed of or are trying to hide."

Ravenne had to giggle. "So how did they react to the first explorers from Aman?"

Verya rolled her eyes. "With disbelief! They did try to bed some of the eldar who came to visit and were confused when they were rejected. They did not understand it at all. To them not wanting to share their bodies is a bit hard to comprehend. If you ever get to Lithui be aware of this, some of the ellyn are a bit strange, if you appear to be not interested they will pursue you even harder. And even though they respect a female and her wishes they can act in a way that to us will seem a bit threatening. They are too eager you might say."

Ravenne nodded. "I got it. So the ellyn are basically trying to get laid with every female they find attractive?"

Verya had a wicked grin on her face and her eyes were filled with mischievous mirth. "Yes. And she doesn't have to be that attractive at all, if she is alive they'll fuck her if she is willing to let them."

Ravenne shook her head. "They sound like humans in their late teens, only hormones and very little brainpower."

Verya tossed her head back and laughed out loud. "Yes, when it comes to the hormones, they are always ready and willing."

Ravenne sighed. "So then the females of their clans are very lucky in deed?"

Verya grinned again. "Yes, but they aren't blunt if you think that, they are not animals who just fuck and then it's over with, they are very fond of physical contact, love to caress each other and are extremely gentle towards their partners. They would never hurt anyone, it is all about pleasure."

Ravenne just had to sigh. "Sounds like they know how to enjoy life."

Verya looked at the wall with a distant look in her blue eyes. "Yes, they love life, they celebrate it in every way they can because it can be over so soon. I have never met people so full of life and joy but I have never seen such grief either. To them everybody is a beloved family member."

Ravenne was starting to realize that this people were very different from her own in some ways and perhaps not so much in others. She felt as though she could understand them in a way. In Aman nothing really happened, people had no reason to celebrate and when they did it was due to tradition. She knew that the elves of her father's kingdom were more vigorous when it came to celebrations, they held onto their old ways and lived closer to nature.

Verya raised an eyebrow and grinned once more. "There is one important difference between their ellyn and ours, they are a bit like bunnies in more ways than just one."

Ravenne sighed, she was getting a bit tired of this talk, it just reminded her of the things she never could have. "Really? How?"

Verya giggled. "Another biological adaptation to increase the chances of conception, their seed is extremely sticky and doesn't leave the female as fast as it would otherwise. But that makes it harder to ejaculate, the muscles have to work much harder to get it out and because of that they come in three stages. First they feel the pleasure of orgasm and to them it is much stronger and longer lasting than for other races, then they pass out and only then can they release their seed. If they were conscious it would in fact hurt like hell. Their inner anatomy is a bit different from that of other elves and humans, much stronger pelvic muscles and a different nervous system too."

Ravenne had problems believing this. "So they pass out? Every time?"

Verya nodded. "Yes, if they do climax they pass out, like a candle. Well, they usually scream like somebody is murdering them first and then they collapse and when they wake up they feel extremely well and very affectionate towards their partner."

Ravenne had to laugh. "Yep, sounds like rabbits except from the affection part. How the heck do you know this anyhow?"

Verya had a very peculiar expression upon her face, she blushed. Ravenne stared at her with wide eyes. "No? Don't tell me that you…You didn't?"

Verya just giggled. "Well, as a matter of fact I did, all in the name of science. I was a bit…overwhelmed though. It was great and by the Valar how amazing he was with me but I could hardly walk afterwards."

Ravenne still just stared, Verya had slept with one of the Ce'agar? Then she remembered what she had done herself and knew that she shouldn't be the one to look down upon anyone. Her own grandfather used to say that the old customs were crap and just pious relics of a time long forgotten. They had long known that consummation didn't necessarily mean bonding and she knew that very well. She hadn't bonded at all with the young ellon she lost her virginity to and perhaps it only was some of the most traditional elves of the Vanyar or Noldor groups that still believed in the old ways. "You really did it with one of them? Weren't you nervous at all?"

Verya shook her head. "Nope, we wanted to learn more about them and sometimes asking questions just won't do. And I knew this young one liked me very much and he was really handsome and very respectful so I went for it."

Ravenne still had problems believing this. "And it was…alright?"

Verya giggled. "More than just that, damn he was good. I have never felt that pampered in my entire life. "

Ravenne raised an eyebrow. "Pampered?"

Verya nodded vigorously. "Yes, worshiped! They really know how to treat a female and he was so grateful for being allowed to be with me he was almost crying. It is rather normal I think, to them females are to be respected, worshiped and treated with the outmost respect and admiration. Being able to give her as much pleasure as possible is just a part of it."

Ravenne sent Verya a small smile. "Sounds like a females dream yes."

Verya made a grimace. "Well, wild between the sheets and wilder even with sword in hand is how to describe them. They fight like nothing I have ever seen before, I really wonder what it was that those two encountered since they both were brought down like that."

Ravenne returned to the moment, she stared at the door to the operating theater. "So do I, and why is it taking so long?"

Verya grimaced. "I have no idea, but he was very hurt. That spear was pretty close to his heart I think and he must have been bleeding heavily internally too."

Ravenne sighed and put her head into her hands. They had to save him, they had to hear what he had seen. "Do they speak sindarin?"

Verya shrugged. "Some do, most of the leaders, the healers and the shamans have learned it. I bet he can speak it rather fluently, they are very fond of learning new things and they are proud to learn too. Being smart is a very good way to gain a good reputation and social status."

Ravenne nodded, she could understand this, being a bit primitive does not mean that one is stupid and she just hoped that he would be able to talk. Verya sighed, she stretched herself and yawned. "Anyhow, the enemy has come from Lithui and so someone has to go over there and see if there is anything we can do."

Ravenne felt a strange sensation there and then, as if someone had poured something ice cold down her back. Why she had no idea but she was suddenly afraid, very afraid. She somehow knew that this person would be her and if she went she probably wouldn't return.

The door opened and a healer came out, she was covered in blood up to her elbows and looked terrible. "He is alive, and I think he will make it. Remarkable creature really, his stomach was so damaged it was hard to tell what everything really was and the spear had gone almost all the way through him but he has pulled through so far."

Verya tilted her head, looked curious. "You have been there?"

The healer nodded. "Yes, so I know how to treat them. We have sedated him, eight times the normal dose. He doesn't look that bad now when we have stitched him up again and one of the best are with him now. She will make the wounds close up within a few hours, we gave him some blood too. It is good that they accept any blood type."

Ravenne was stunned to hear that. "Any blood type?"

The healer nodded. "Yes, be it human or elven, as long as it is alive they will accept it. Their immune system is rather amazing, like none other I think."

Verya grinned and nodded. "Then he will live, good to know. "

The healer smiled. "Yes, there is no danger of infections, he has just lost much blood. But we will keep him under for a couple of days I think. "

Verya shook her head. "You can't, we need to know what it was that he fought right away."

The healer made a grimace. "Very well, we'll wake him up but just for a few minutes, he is in agony and very weak. It would be cruel to keep him awake for longer than that, in special when you know what happened to his friend."

Verya nodded. "Yes, but we have to know."

The healer nodded. "I understand, follow me."

She walked through a door and Ravenne and Verya followed her into a very small but cozy room lighted only by a fireplace and a few candles. "His eyes are very light sensitive, we cannot use the electric lights here. "

Narriar lay in a bed and he was looking a lot better, the blood had been washes away from his skin and hair and his eyes were closed. He lay relaxed on his back and was breathing in a slow but steady rhythm. Ravenne had not really seen his face until now, she had been in too much of a shock and he had been covered by blood. Now she really saw him and she realized that he really was extremely handsome, even for an elf. He just looked a bit more stocky than the normal elves. The tattoos were so strange and they covered his upper arms and shoulders, he also had some on his face and neck and she could see that he too had pierced his ears. She saw that he in fact had a piercing in the tip of his left ear and it would have had to be extremely painful.

The healer took a syringe and injected his arm with a clear liquid. "He will wake up now but he won't be able to move, beware. He'd might panic so be quick with it. This only last a couple of minutes on someone like him."

Verya smiled and sat down by the bed. She grasped his hand and Ravenne took the other one, almost hesitantly. It was warm now, and strong with callouses and visible sinews, a fighters hand in deed. His skin was so real to her all of a sudden, as if she hadn't really been able to grasp the idea of him being there for real, she stroked his palm and saw that he was starting to wake up. He whimpered and tossed his head back and forth. His chest and stomach were covered with bandages but he did look like a wounded person now, not like a corpse. Verya bit her lower lip, she looked nervous. He gasped and then he opened his eyes, staring straight into the ceiling. His eyes were green, just like his friends but they had a lighter color, it had specks of gold in it and he groaned and looked absolutely terrified. Verya squeezed his hand, she tried to look as comforting as she could. "Relax, you are safe. You got hurt but we have healed you."

He turned his head towards the sound, whimpered again. "Where?"

He stared up again, Ravenne could see that he started to remember and his eyes went wide and filled with horror. "Hithiar!"

Verya swallowed hard. "He isn't here Narriar, please, what did this to you?"

He turned his head again, saw Ravenne and he just stared with a strange expression in his eyes. "He is dead is he not, I cannot…feel him"

He whimpered and tears started to flow down his cheeks, he sobbed. Ravenne felt a strange feeling in her chest, she wanted so badly to comfort him, to take away his grief and pain. "It is ok, you are safe. You fought well, both of you did. What attacked you?"

He stared at her again, in disbelief. "_Ai othain me chikrai,_ they were monsters. They just came wandering through our forest and we were discovered. They were so hard to kill and there were so many of them and…."

He gasped for air and let out a piercing wail of pure raw emotion. "Hithiar, oh _ashim nen_, I should have joined you!"

Ravenne looked at Verya. "What did it mean, the things he just said? _Ai othain_…?

Verya had to think hard for a second. "Ah, geez, I think it means something like –_honored one_ _born of starlight_- He thinks you are a goddess"

Ravenne had to blush, why she did not know. "You said monsters, what did they look like?"

He was shaking now, tears flowing down his cheeks and he was sobbing in wild gasps. "_Ebathui, ebathui, mel ren ebathui"_

Verya looked very confused. "Darkness, darkness, only pure darkness?"

He was rolling his eyes and Ravenne knew that he was fading into unconsciousness once more. She shook him but he was gone and she swore and got on her feet. Darkness? That did not tell them much but he would hopefully come too again and then he could hopefully tell them more. She felt so sorry for him, the sorrow in his voice and eyes was so obvious and she tried to imagine what she would have felt like if someone had killed any of her family. Yes she could understand him, very well in fact. She grasped a cloth from a washing stand and washed the tears of his face, very gently and Verya stared at her with a puzzled expression in her face. "If I didn't know any better I would say that you care about him?"

Ravenne just mumbled. "I pity him, that's all."

Verya sighed and got up. "I am going home, are you staying here?"

Ravenne nodded. "I suppose I am, in case he wakes up again."

Verya smiled. "That's great, you look tired so take the bed over there, you need some rest too. And if you ask they will surely give you something to eat. "

Ravenne just smiled at her and pulled the bed closer to his, he was sleeping and breathing regularly, could these elves will themselves to die as her race were known to do in cases of extreme sorrow? She hoped not, he had to live. He could hold the key to this mystery.

She laid down on the bed and relaxed, felt how her head was spinning. It did not last long before she was asleep and she saw it all once more, the bloody snow covered with footprints and the two mangled bodies. She gasped in her sleep and whispered his name and he moved slightly, as if he heard her and reacted to the sound of his name.

Ravenne was awakened by one of the healers, the elleth looked a bit shocked. "Wake up my lady, there was an attack in Aman too, but this time they found a dead one. They are bringing it to us right now!"

Ravenne had problems gathering her thoughts but then she pulled herself together. "A dead one? How? Who killed it?"

The healer grinned. "An elleth, Celegeth, Elladan's fiancée."

Ravenne was on her feet, suddenly she felt eager, filled with energy. "Show me!"


	5. Spawn of darkness

**Chapter Five: Spawn of darkness**

There are distant voices

Calling out through the mist of time

"beware"they mutter

In a mirror image of ages past

The darkness awakens once more

They stared at a creature which was hard to describe, simply because it was so bizarre. The dead creature was almost four meters long and it wore a sort of armor made from plates of bone, pieces of wood and other materials. It looked rather weird but it probably worked. The body was shaped a bit like that of a huge ape, long arms and short legs and the creature had a very muscular physique. The hands were huge with long claws on the thick stubby fingers and the feet were as they had noticed rather huge with just two toes. The thing was stinking so badly they had to stay at a distance from it. The body wasn't that bad, it looked a bit like that of a troll except from the fact that the entire torso was covered with scaly skin instead of normal hide. It was as if this creature was some sort of reptile and the head added to that assumption. The head was huge, but the shape of it made it rather clear that this creature lacked a lot when it came to brain power. It was mostly jaws and face and the skull didn't have place for more than a walnut brain. It had a pair of very small eyes and it was obvious that this thing didn't rely too much on sight, it had to be almost half blind. The nose on the other hand was rather developed and the face did remind them a bit of that of a baboon but it was more stretched out lengthwise. The jaws looked a bit like those of some huge canine but the teeth were certainly more of the shark type.

Oropher coughed. "Damn it, it stinks to high heaven, what in the world is this thing really?"

Celegeth was shivering. "They all looked the same, exactly the same."

The creature had a very short neck but Celegeth had somehow managed to pierce its jugular and it lay in a huge pool of greenish blood. Legolas was studying the thing closer, he held a piece of cloth up over his nose and he was making grimaces. "It is hairless, and that skin is rather thick I think. It doesn't appear to be intelligent but still it is wearing armor. And remember that weapon they found? Something is controlling them, something with more brains than this brute."

Thranduil had to agree, he was almost fascinated by the grotesque sight. "This is almost like an orc, it doesn't need to be smart, all it has to do is being deadly and this thing is just that. Look at those teeth, they are horrible!"

Oropher almost growled. "I'd hate to say it but I would prefer orcs any day, this thing is worse than any orc!"

Legolas nodded. "You are right, even the Uruk-hai of the ring war were puny compared with this fellow."

Elrond was trying to comfort Celegeth. "We need to learn more of this thing, as much as possible, I think I will ask for the carcass to be transferred to the main colony on earth, they have better equipment."

Thranduil frowned. "I don't think everybody would agree on that."

Elrond was looking a bit better now that he knew that Celegeth was alive but he was still pale. "I don't freaking care, this abomination has to be put through a proper autopsy. It is the only way we can hope to learn more."

Legolas grinned. "Yes, but I do not envy the poor bastards who has to do the job, I don't think I ever have smelled anything this bad."

They heard the sound of distant hoof beats and Thranduil sighed. "And here comes the cavalry I guess, prepare for chaos."

Chaos did follow, just as he had predicted. Many were scurrying around desperately searching for their loved ones while others were staring in shock at the dead being. Luckily Glorfindel and Amroth were among the first to arrive and they managed to take the lead and shout orders which were followed by the crowd, and it was nothing short of being a miracle. Luckily a healer had followed the group and she was able to take care of Celegeth's wounds. Legolas was really impressed by the young elleth's courage and he knew that his friend really had found a true gem there, but one with sharp edges. Everybody was told to return to the palace where the meeting was being held and Thranduil saw that several did obey and returned to their horses. There was nothing more there, nothing to be done except mourning the dead and he knew that the inhabitants of the villages in the area would have to do the very unpleasant job of burning the bodies. He and Legolas stared with narrow eyes at the convoy of elves leaving the city and Oropher was clenching his lips together and his eyes were shooting fire. "It will happen again, and if it continues like it has then the next city to be attacked is most likely Tirion."

Legolas looked shocked. "Tirion is not just an insignificant little place, it is important. It controls the pass through the Pelori mountains, surely they cannot think about attacking there? The terrain is terrible for an attack and Tirion has walls too."

Oropher still had a very dark expression within his eyes, he bent down and grasped a twig, made a simple map in the dust. "I hope I am wrong, but I saw that the tracks here just appeared, walls are no barrier from something like this. And it is on course with this city and the previous attacks. It is next, mark my words."

Thranduil nodded. "I believe you adar, but do you think the others will?"

Oropher made a grimace. "I have no idea but I hope they will. Tirion is not prepared for an attack, but it contains many inhabitants and they have nowhere to go if something happens."

Thranduil's eyes got narrow, he looked a bit sinister. "The pass is important, I fear that this is the works of a very devious brain."

Legolas sighed. "Right, I will go. I will warn them. If I ride hard I can get there by midnight."

Thranduil grinned. "Yes, and do not be afraid to use threats, I know the head of the city council, the mayor, he is a weak ellon with a fondness for flatter and he is also terribly afraid of getting that pretty hide of his scarred. Put a dagger up in front of his eyes and he will listen, believe me. Tell him that I will come for him if he doesn't obey, his father fought with us at Dagorlad, he should know what we are capable of."

Legolas had to grin, he found some food and a wineskin in one of the houses that were still standing and then he got his horse and rode off. Thranduil looked until his son disappeared behind the trees, he felt extremely worried. If Tirion was to be attacked he had sent his own son right into mortal danger but there was little choice. If the council kept quarreling the way they had little would be done. Oropher petted his shoulder. "He will be ok son, he has fought just as hard as we did, don't fear for his safety. If anyone knows how to survive this it is him. "

Thranduil frowned, he looked down. "I know but I still fear, I guess that is natural. "

Oropher smiled and his eyes were filled with tenderness. "It is, he is your son, you would not be half the man you are if you didn't fear for his safety. I am very proud of you both you know. "

Thranduil could only smile at his father and he did really feel how much Oropher had changed. Perhaps this wise and gentle minded ellon was the person he was supposed to be in the first place but time and politics and the turns of fate itself had shaped him into something else, something far less likeable.

They found their horses and rode back to the council, they did not arrive until late in the evening and everybody was running around trying to find out what was going to happen next and what was to be done with the dead creature. Thranduil saw that some wizards already was working on opening a gate and bringing the cadaver through and he hoped that the people they had on earth would be able to find out more about this thing. The council members were assembled by some obviously stressed out servants and Finwe told them that the creature was to be examined and that they contemplated sending couriers to the cities to warn them. Thranduil smiled when he heard those words, a rather sarcastic grin which told everybody who watched what he thought about their reluctant decisions.

Food was being served and the elves were gathering in groups, loudly discussing this latest development and Oropher rolled his eyes. "Back in my days people did at least do something, they didn't spend ages discussing the details."

Thranduil had to grin. "So nobody made hasty decisions back then?"

Oropher had to laugh. "Oh, I know what you are thinking ion nin, yes I was too rash, I did not really think. I was tired of waiting and waiting even more, I wanted it over with. So yes, we charged a bit too early and we paid the price for that, it was my fault. "

Thranduil sighed and closed his eyes, they really hadn't stood much of a chance, their warriors clad only in leather and old chain mail while the Noldor elves and the Numenoreans had real armor. No wonder they lost two thirds of their force. "But you learned right?"

Oropher nodded, there was a strange glimpse within his eyes. "Oh yes I did, dying does that to you son. "

He turned towards Thranduil and tilted his head. "I must confess something to you. I spent the time in the halls constantly expecting to see you arrive there, you were pretty reckless back then, I suppose I thought that you were the one to go first, not me. But how wrong I was, and I am very glad. "

Thranduil just bowed his head. "Yes you were, I am nothing if not stubborn. "

Oropher nodded. "Yes you are. I hope that will help you also in the future. "

Thranduil sighed. "So do I"

Legolas had been riding hard the entire afternoon and as the sun set he was getting closer to the pass. His horse was struggling now but he had not stopped anywhere to get another one, there were few places where they had reserve horses and he was seeing the lights from the city up afar now. He urged the panting horse forward into one last effort, he feared another attack already this night but prayed that it wouldn't happen. Tirion was a very beautiful city with nice architecture and a lot of history and he knew that the inhabitants were craftsmen and merchants, very few were soldiers since it was no need for such in Aman. He rode through the city gates just before midnight and he stopped his horse in front of the city hall. It was a rather small but still impressive building made from a very pretty almost pink type of marble. A stable worker came forth and the ellon looked a bit pissed off when he saw the state of the animal. Legolas had to send him an apologetic grin. "I am sorry, but it was important. You should not happen to know where the mayor is right now?"

The stable worker could see that this was someone with power from Legolas clothing and the expensive horse. He bowed his head. "He is in his private chambers, just go to the door and the servants will take you too him. "

Legolas nodded and walked rather fast, he had a strange feeling of haste, as if he had the enemy right behind him right there and then. He knocked on the door and when a young maiden in a uniform opened he presented himself and asked to be taken to the lord of the house immediately. The elleth nodded and he followed her through a house which was elegant but yet simple. The things he saw were nice but not expensive, the owner had taste but not enough wealth to buy things which were too luxurious. He used his eyes, every detail was something he could use for later. He was brought to a study where the mayor awaited him, the ellon was rather young and he looked almost unfinished in some way, he had little experience and Legolas had to sigh to himself. This was an ellon who just had read about the battles of old, one who had only seen peace and prosperity his entire life. Those were always hard to convince, they refused to accept the presence of evil and saw only what they wanted to see.

The mayor was a bit short and his hair was very long and well groomed, he wore a very nice set of robes and Legolas keen eyes did not fail to see the fact that his fingernails had been polished and that the simple yet elegant necklace he wore had to be made from Mithril. It was expensive, but this ellon could probably not have afforded it himself. It had to be a gift but from who? Legolas stopped and bowed his head, tried to appear as if he was at least polite. "I am Legolas Thranduilion, I come with news from the council of the wise. "

Legolas saw that the other ellons eyes dilated a bit, he swallowed and there was something restless about his movements. Legolas had seen that kind of reaction before, he knew that many found him attractive. The necklace had to have been a gift from someone special, but not likely a lady. It was more believable that this ellon had gotten the necklace from a lover and Legolas already knew all he needed to know about the mayor. "I wasn't expecting anyone from the council this early?"

Legolas smiled but the smile was a bit dangerous. "There has been some further development, there was an attack last night too, and we do fear that this city is next. "

The mayor flinched and Legolas could see that his eyes went wide, he was suddenly pale. "You cannot possibly be serious? Why would anyone attack us?"

Legolas moved closer to the mayor, he could see that the ellon had his eyes fixed on the two long knives he now wore at his hips. This fellow was afraid of violence, probably very feminine and easy to persuade. "Flesh mellon, meat!"

Legolas was suddenly standing next to the mayor who swallowed again and again, he looked very nervous. "The things that has attacked our cities is simply hungry, and they eat people. They do not care about gold or jewels, all they want is just…flesh!"

The mayor was shivering, Legolas voice was dangerous and low and the archer could clearly see that the ellon was struggling with a mixture of fear and arousal. He wasn't wrong, this ellon was attracted to him and heck, he knew how to take advantage of it. He smiled, an almost inviting grin. "They kill everything, and eat it alive too. Wouldn't it be a terrible if this was to happen to your city, or even to…you?"

The mayor squeaked, his eyes dark and Legolas sent him another vicious grin. "I have seen it, what they have done. Bodies so mutilated it was hard to tell that they once were elves. Horrible really. And the enemy had just appeared, out of the blue. By magic. Quite suddenly too, nobody had time to react. If it happened here it would be a bloodbath."

He spun around, now he was facing the mayor and he was very close to him too, so close he could smell that the ellon had been drinking some very nice wine. "I am sure you don't want that kind of responsibility on your hands? Or that type of blame?"

The mayor shook his head. "Oh gods, no. But…are you sure it will happen here?"

Legolas gave him his most electric smile, the one that made the ellith swoon and his wife called his best party trick. The mayor stared at him as if he was hypnotized, sometimes the good looks of the house of Oropher was a huge advantage. "Yes mellon nin, the attacks has followed a straight line and this city is on it. So I strongly advice that you gather every capable ellon and prepare."

The mayor looked a bit as if someone had dropped him from a great height, he was utterly confused. "I have no idea of what I should do? Where do I start?!"

"Find a safe place for the ellith and the children first and foremost!" A voice boomed from the back of the room and Legolas understood that this was the mayors father, he had fallen in the battle that claimed Legolas grandfathers life and this ellon had been re-embodied too. He was rather tall and dark and he had piercing grey eyes and a very military approach. Legolas let out a sigh of relief, this was an ellon he could trust. One which would do whatever needed to be done without asking too many questions. The tall ellon threw his son a rather tired look and bowed before Legolas, a deep movement which showed respect and reverence. "I am Vegylion, I fought alongside your father and daeradar, I am very honored to meet you. Please pardon my son, he is helpless when it comes to taking real action. His best moves both politically and otherwise are done among silk cushions and wine glasses. Back in the days we had a name for elves like him, but I will not insult your ears by using it. "

Legolas had to grin. He liked Vegylion, he was a typical ex-soldier and hardened by many battles. "Oh, I have heard it I am sure, my father's vocabulary of obscene phrases is rather impressive."

Vegylion threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Oh yes, I remember that. He took an arrow to his left buttock once, I was there when the healer pulled it out and I must admit that I for a moment feared that the very tent would catch fire."

Legolas smiled. "Sounds like my adar yes, is there any places in this city which can be defended if we are right?"

Vegylion sent his son a menacing glance, the mayor was still staring at Legolas the same way a kid stares at a box filled with candy. "It is your father and daeradar who sent you right? The council could not find their own arse even if they were getting help! And making a real decision? Not within our lifetime!"

Legolas nodded. "Yes, they did send me. I agree with them, this city is in danger."

Vegylion had a very determined look within his eyes. "We are quite a few veterans here in this city, about four hundred I think. I can assemble them all, and there are two hundred more spread through the smaller settlements within the pass. I would need a few hours but then they would all be here I am sure."

Legolas let out a sigh, six hundred warriors. It wasn't much but if they were any good they could indeed make a difference. "We have some vaults underneath the temple, they are solid and the doors very strong. We can assemble the ellith and the children there, with about fifty warriors the place should be rather safe."

Legolas swallowed. "The enemy can show up pretty much everywhere, even within a sealed vault I guess. Is there any magicians here? Anyone with powers?"

Vegylion shook his head. "No, the only magic we have isn't even magic, it is the huge mirrors we use to bring sunlight down here when the autumn and winter makes the pass dark."

Legolas gasped. "Can they be moved?!"

Vegylion nodded. "Yes, but why? We only use them during festivals and such."

Legolas felt a sensation of excitement rush through him. "The creatures has always attacked at night, they are light sensitive. If we use the mirrors and some huge fires it should keep them at bay."

Vegylion stared at Legolas and his grin got wider and wider. "You are indeed your father's son. Smart idea."

Legolas saw that the mayor had sat down in a chair, obviously very disappointed that he no longer was the center of attention. He looked like a sulking kid really. "Is there an armory here somewhere?"

Vegylion nodded. "It is, allow me to show you. I just have to send someone out to gather the men, it won'take long. "

He rang a small bell and a servant came running, Vegylion shouted a few orders and the ellon left in a hurry, the ex-soldier sent Legolas a vicious grin. "I never made it to officer back on Arda, but now I can at least pretend as if I was in command."

Legolas nodded. "I am sure you would have been an excellent officer Vegylion, one of the best."

The ellon grinned. "I was an officer for about three minutes, the man above me in rank fell for an orc's arrow and I was replacing him when another son of a bitch managed to hit me in my head with an axe. At least it happened fast, I didn't feel any pain. I was just pissed off when I realized that I wasn't in my body any longer and then Mandos was calling me to him and I just had to go, but by Sauron's arse how eager I was to continue fighting."

Legolas made a grimace. "Well, if our assumptions are right you may get your chance after all."

Vegylion threw a glance at his son. "And you, you stay here and make sure that all the womenfolk go to the temple. And I mean all of them, and those ellon who doesn't fight too. I guess you fit into that category but I am warning you, you will be the last one to enter the vault, the real women will go first!"

The mayor cringed and nodded, he was obviously afraid of his ada and Vegylion was mumbling something Legolas barely heard but it was enough to make the archer blush rather vigorously.

Vegylion walked down into a hallway and then they left the building. The night air was chill and very pleasant and Legolas enjoyed it a lot. They approached a building placed next to the wall, it wasn't big but the walls were thick and the door was locked with a huge and very complicated mechanism. Vegylion had the key and got the door open, the air was stale and filled with dust but Legolas stared at the walls with awe. They were covered with weapons and he could see that they were ancient but still very sharp and strong. He turned his head towards Vegylion who grinned and had a proud expression upon his face. "How the heck? These are amazing?"

Vegylion's smile was so wide he showed all of his teeth. "I know, it is a long story but these weapons were made for the war of wrath, somehow they ended up here due to some miscommunication or blunder. And I am very glad that they did!"

Legolas saw that everything was covered with dust and still they were shiny, he swallowed hard. He carefully took a sword out of its holder, it was just perfect and so beautiful. "They really knew how to make them back then."

Vegylion's voice was a bit sad and Legolas nodded. "How many of the men do you think are archers? We will need them on the wall. "

He could see many quivers packed with arrows, and there were bows there so beautiful he was just aching to try them. "A third I think, they haven't lost the touch at all. I can promise you that."

Legolas tried to count the amount of weapons and Vegylion grinned and opened a small black book he found in a desk by the door. "No need for that my lord, I did that years ago when we discovered this cache."

He opened the book. "We have three thousand arrows with armor piercing tips and three thousand with normal hunting tips. We have five hundred good bows but I guess that we can use half of them. The other half are too damaged by the ravages of time I fear. We have six hundred sets of long knives and five hundred sets of daggers. Two hundred long axes and war hammers and then we have about seven hundred swords of different types. And then we have some crates with different smaller things but I doubt we'll need them."

Legolas had a very determined glimpse within his eyes. "We will be able to deliver quite a punch I am sure. If we are to go down we will go down fighting!"

Vegylion just smiled. "I know we will my lord, these ellyn will fight to the very last drop of their blood has fallen!"

Legolas sighed. "Let us pray that it won't come to that."

Vegylion petted his shoulder. "Yes, but we will be prepared, fear not!"

A few hours went and Legolas noticed the activity within the city, elves were rushing towards the temple bringing food and smaller belongings and even though they were afraid it all went very orderly. There was no panic and Legolas saw that the gathered veterans helped out as much as they could. The armory also held some armors and they were a bizarre sight since they were made in a style that had gone out of use ages ago. But they were still useable and when the warriors had put them on Legolas had to admit that the sight was one to behold. He could see the pride in these soldiers eyes and Vegylion had put one armor aside for Legolas too. It was obviously made for an officer and it was almost black with beautiful patterns in gold and mithril. It had to be worth a fortune but Legolas felt a bit humbled when he put it on with the help of one of the warriors. This was in fact a relic, something which should have been put on display for all to see, like a piece of a past long gone. He wasn't sure if he was worthy of wearing this but then again, it could possibly save his life and so he accepted it gracefully and hoped that he would make the one who made this proud.

The daylight was returning and the danger was over for this night but there would be other nights and Legolas helped with the huge mirrors. They placed them on top of the city hall and gathered as much firewood as they could, then they lead all the horses and cattle out through the gates and let them loose. It was better that the animals were allowed to run off than staying there to be killed if the enemy was to show up. They placed quivers on top of the wall and on the tallest houses, the best archers were placed there and Legolas had made sure that every bow had been tested before it was delivered to anyone. Just to be sure every archer had been given two bows and some young ellyn had volunteered to refill their quivers. The city was as ready as it could be and Legolas could just pray that they didn't have to fight, that the fifth attack had been the last one.

Back at the council the arguing and fighting had continued and nobody was able to agree on anything. Finwe was close to giving up on the whole thing and Thranduil and Oropher just wanted to leave and go home. This new day had brought nothing but more tension and some had started to demand that the Valar reacted and did something to protect their realm. Some Istari had showed up and tried to explain that this came from a world in which their powers were useless but some didn't listen to this. Thranduil and Oropher sat with Amroth and his friends when Glorfindel showed up again, he sat down by their table and nodded, his eyes were a bit dark and he looked either grumpy or just plain angry. "I have spoken with the ones in charge of governing the cities of this area and nobody is willing to do anything. They won't prepare the inhabitants or arm them, they won't even consider the possibility of real danger. Damn, they are like horses wearing blinkers."

Thranduil sighed. "Exactly, they haven't seen anything of what we have been through, to them death and destruction is just words, they have no experience with it. "

Glorfindel ran his fingers through his long golden mane. "I am ready to fight, I really am. And I know many others who are aware of the danger we are facing, if there are more attacks it will turn into a nightmare. There will be panic, these realms are filled with people who just cannot comprehend the situation at all."

Oropher smiled, a sad grin. "Yes, we are sitting ducks, a feast! To these creatures it is the equivalent of arriving to a table which has been prepared for them. Food everywhere. "

The golden haired warrior sighed and leaned his chin into his hand, he looked tired. "I have spoken with one of the wizards, something has happened on earth. Two Ce'agar warriors had obviously tried to stop these creatures and they were pulled along with them to earth, one was dead but the other one is still alive. They hope that he can tell them more. Your daughter is with him Thranduil."

Thranduil almost gasped, he sat up as if someone had stuck him with a needle. "What? Ravenne?!"

Glorfindel nodded. "Yes, the warrior is none other than their leader, Narriar. If he makes it the wizards has agreed to send an expedition to Lithui. I have volunteered already, I have wanted to see that world since it was discovered and perhaps we can do something real instead of sitting here listening to a whole lot of quarreling."

Thranduil felt his heart skip a few beats, his daughter was involved in this too? He didn't want that, not at all. "This Ce'agar, do you know anything at all about him?"

Glorfindel sighed, made a grimace. "No, very little, he is their leader like I told you and I guess that means that he is one hell of a warrior. I am looking forward to meeting him in fact."

Oropher frowned. "But I know that those elves regard us as weak and useless?"

Glorfindel just grinned. "Yes, so I am looking for an opportunity to prove to them that they are wrong."

Thranduil leaned forward over the table. "Have they looked at the creature yet?"

Glorfindel grimaced and leaned back, he yawned. "I don't know, they probably are cutting away right now as we speak. It was huge so it isn't done in a flash. "

Oropher looked at his map again, he suddenly grasped his wine glass and placed it onto the parchment, moved it up and down while he was mumbling something incoherently. Thranduil stared at his father with a puzzled expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

Oropher turned the map around. "I just realized something, it isn't just the size of the cities, it is the distance between them too. Look, there is no more than a hundred miles between any of them, it has to have some sort of significance. "

Glorfindel snapped his fingers. "Time! It is about time!"

Thranduil raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Glorfindel was practically beaming with energy. He grasped another piece of parchment and made a sort of drawing. "Look, this is earth or Arda, this is Lithui in the middle and this is Aman. We know that time is the same here and on earth, sunrise and sunset are at the same time right? But Lithui doesn't have a sun or moon, it could be that it revolves at a different pace than our worlds?"

Oropher swore, Thranduil stared at his father with disbelief, he had hardly ever heard him using such words. "Of course, we are idiots! They use the same point of origin each time but our world and earth has moved a bit since the last attack so they arrive at a different location. Then we do know they come from one place in Lithui, not the whole damn world."

Glorfindel nodded eagerly, his eyes were shining. "If we can calculate how much Lithui has moved in comparison to earth and Aman we can also guess exactly where in Lithui they come from."

Thranduil's eyes got narrow, there was a strange fire of determination within them. "Right, and who are better at this than the Istari? We have to get their attention!"

Glorfindel got up and he grinned widely. "Yes, I am sure of this, I feel it in my bones. That is how we can achieve our goal and stop this."

They all got on their feet and stopped one of the wizards who were about to leave the room. They showed him the drawings and the Istari's face showed a peculiar mixture of shock and embarrassment. This was something they should have thought of, not some warriors. He promised to tell the others of this discovery and off he went as if his robes were on fire. Glorfindel grinned widely. "I hope they get the picture!"

Oropher looked a bit doubtful. "So do I, but I am not so sure that it will change anything. If I know them right they will use weeks just to agree on whether or not this is a fact."

Thranduil sighed. "Ada, I fear that you are right about that."

He stared out of the window, it was still daylight but soon the evening would come and then the night and his thoughts was with his son in Tirion. Were they preparing? Did they stand a chance at all? He wasn't sure about anything anymore and he thought about Nireariel and their home. Their home was far south of the pass in the forests of Orome and there was no reason why it should be attacked but he had a strange sensation of fear still. As of now the attacks had followed a pattern but what if that pattern was broken? Then nobody could know where the next attack would come and there were a lot of elves in new greenwood, a lot of animals too. If these creatures really was after meat it was plenty of it there and he closed his eyes and tried to assure himself that everybody was safe. It was just that a tiny voice within his head told him they weren't, that he should have been there with them, done his duty as a father and husband and protected his family and realm first and foremost. The rest of Aman shouldn't be his concern at all. Oropher saw the expression within his eyes and grasped his shoulder firmly. "I know son, but don't worry. Nireariel is stronger than you think son, she will protect them, I know she will. She know you had to go, and she understands."

Thranduil smiled but the smile never reached his eyes. "I know ada, but I cannot help it. I should be there with her, not here with this bunch of….nitwits!"

Oropher had to laugh. "You always had a way with words, yes, nitwits. Fear not, I am rather sure that our home is the safest place to be right now, all other cities here are possible targets and I would feel a heck of a lot better wearing a good armor and carrying my old sword. At least I would feel as if I am ready. "

Thranduil made a grimace. "I heard from Elrond during the break, he sent a courier. Celegeth will be ok, they have fixed her but she is in shock still. Amazing that she managed to kill that thing."

Glorfindel's eyes were narrow and his mouth pressed together. "She did well, she reacted out of sheer panic but she did the right move. I think the throat is the weak point of those monsters. And since they appear to be less gifted when it comes to intelligence I would guess that the best way to take them out will be to go for them two and two at a time. One can distract the beast while the other strike. "

Oropher nodded. "I agree, one should never try to kill one of those monsters alone, but either with arrows from afar or with a longsword. I would not like to get within reach of those claws."

Glorfindel got a wry grin on his face. "As long as they aren't on fire I won't back down. I will never flee from an enemy. "

Thranduil just mumbled. "As if any of us would do that."

Oropher stared at the crowd. "The meeting is over for today I think, they have only managed to agree on the conclusion that travel between the cities is to be restricted. This is moving forward with the same speed as a slug, or running tar!"

Glorfindel nodded. "I don't know with you my lords, but I plan on getting a good meal, a bath and then I will go to bed with my sword by my side. If you are wise you will do likewise. One can never be too sure, we might wake up in the middle of an attack or not at all!"

Thranduil sent the warrior a rather dark glance. "True words mellon, keep your weapons close."

Oropher sighed and shook his head slowly. "I never thought that I ever would have to take my sword to bed here in Aman, she was a regular bed partner back on Arda but I do prefer my wife. "

Thranduil had to laugh. "So do I ada, so do I."


	6. Let there be light

**Chapter six: Let there be light**

Without darkness there can be no light

Without light darkness is without substance

What then with the world of shadows

Forever trapped in between

Forever awaiting the beginning

Or the end

Ravenne was standing in front of a huge glass window, staring down at a large table where healers and other experts were cutting away at the weird creature the wizards had brought with them from Aman. She had never seen anything even halfway that ugly before and she knew that the thing had scared them all when they first saw it. The elves were performing a necropsy and everything was being recorded for later use, she wanted to be there but they wouldn't let anyone in who couldn't make themselves useful and she knew that the stench of this thing would have made her sick.

They were cutting away and the sight made her flinch, yes, it was smart of her to remain on the gallery. Verya came in through the door, she had been at home resting and now she had returned to hear what they had discovered about this creature. She grinned at Ravenne and took a quick look at the action downstairs. She immediately gulped and turned around. "Oh by the Valar, that is just so gross!"

Ravenne nodded. "Yes, hope you haven't eaten, I have seen two of the healers leave the room to puke already, and those ellith are rather tough, believe me."

Verya just shook her head in disbelief. "That thing looks utterly bizarre? What in the name of everything sacred is it really?"

Ravenne shrugged. "Hopefully the healers will be able to tell us that. It looks as if they are finishing down there."

Verya rushed out the door and Ravenne followed her, not less enthusiastic but with far more dignity. They did not have to wait for long, the leader of the colony came out and pulled off a facemask and a white coat which was covered with goo. He looked horrible and his face was green, Ravenne did pity him a bit. Luin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Phew, what a job, I won't get rid of that smell ever, I swear. I am gonna feel it until the end of days!"

Ravenne had to grin, Luin was indeed stinking and she knew that the room had to be absolutely revolting by now. Some of the healers emerged and their faces were also very green, they too were covered with goo and one of them disappeared into the nearest bathroom in an alarming speed, hand pressed against her mouth and panic in her eyes.

The one in charge of the necropsy was an elleth Ravenne yet hadn't met, she was rather short and willowy and she had thick red hair and green eyes which were shining with excitement. It was rather apparent that this elleth had found something she found fascinating. She stopped by Ravenne and Luin and grinned at them, Verya had to turn around, her grimace told everybody that she was ready to say goodbye to every meal she had had this day. "I am Mallina, I have been working with many interesting specimens in my life but this one is in a category of itself, damn, I am all giddy still. Have you any idea of how bizarre this creature is?"

Ravenne had to grin. "No, but I am rather sure that you are willing to tell us exactly how weird he is."

Mallina was giggling. "First of all, it isn't a he at all!"

Verya was staring slack jawed. "Are you kidding me? It is a she?! By Morgoth's balls she is ugly, I am glad I haven't seen any of the males then!"

Mallina grinned widely, her arms were moving like a conductors and she was beaming with energy. "It isn't a she either, I discovered something rather weird. This creature is almost like a working bee or ant, it is genderless. Its sole purpose in life is to bring food and materials back to its hive, I think this enemy is almost like an anthill. "

Ravenne felt how an ice cold chill ran down her spine. "Then there has to be a queen, controlling them all. And she could very well be the only intelligent creature among them!"

Mallina nodded. "Yes, I am rather sure of that too. But that queen has to possess some kind of magic to be able to send her soldiers into different worlds to gather food, and like I told you, I think this is a worker, not a soldier."

Verya was pale. "I have seen ants, the warriors are huge! And damn do they bite!"

Mallina looked serious for a minute. "I would expect that that is the truth also for this species. The warriors are probably a lot bigger and more aggressive and a heck of a lot more dangerous. These creatures does not exist as individuals, the entire hive is one being in a way, a super organism with specialized organs in the form of workers, warriors, builders and so on."

Ravenne was thinking hard. "Then it cannot be something that is completely new can it? The inhabitants of Lithui have had to have faced them before?"

Mallina frowned. "You know what? They could have been in hibernation, maybe it was just one egg. And when it hatched it became a queen and now she has got a whole hive to feed."

Verya made a grimace. "Then that queen must have been able to lay eggs without a male?"

Mallina shrugged. "That's not so weird actually, they call it parthenogenesis and some species are known to use it. She'll mate with a male offspring from her first clutch of eggs and then she'll lay hundreds of eggs."

Ravenne hissed. "Oh please don't tell me its hundreds of those monsters out there? The Ce'agar has to know anything about them."

Mallina made a grimace. "Wouldn't bet on it, if this hive is in a new area where there has been no such creatures before they could be as new to the elves there as the motorcar was to the first of us who came to earth. The Ce'agar doesn't inhabit all of Lithui, we already know that. There are huge areas which are unexplored even by them."

Verya bit her lower lip. "But I do hope they will help us nonetheless, we don't know that world at all. "

Mallina tilted her head, she looked curious. "I heard you have a live Ce'agar in the infirmary? Oh by the Valar how I would love to examine him, thoroughly. I have heard that they are such exceptional creatures."

Ravenne suddenly felt angry, why she did not know. She just snapped. "**His** name is Narriar and **he** is not some specimen, he is an elf just like us and not a freaking lab rat! Show some respect!"

Mallina blinked, she looked shocked. "Pardon me, I was being rude. Of course, he is a person, I was just a bit over eager."

Ravenne almost growled. "Don't let that happen again!"

Verya frowned and her face looked very shocked. "Where the heck did that come from Rav? You are not usually that protective of anyone?!"

Ravenne just sighed, she didn't understand either. "I just pity him, just as I told you!"

Verya pressed her eyebrows together and threw a very suspicious glance at Ravenne, she didn't say anything but her eyes spoke volumes. This wasn't like Ravenne at all, something was off but what?

Mallina sighed. "Anyway, the fact that this worker is genderless is just one weird fact, the other is that their stomachs are huge! They are probably eating as much as they can and then they return and regurgitate most of it. "

Verya went green again. "Oh Nuath, that is so vile!"

Mallina shrugged again. "Canines do that, to feed the pups. It isn't anything unnatural about it. Furthermore I did find out that they are practically blind but their skin is very sensitive to sunlight, or more precisely to UV light. It burns them almost like dragons fire. Their skin is very tough, I had huge problems even getting a very sharp scalpel through it but the throat is rather vulnerable. And so are the eyes in fact, the brain is just behind the eyes. It is a tiny target but an arrow or shot will kill them if it hits it."

Ravenne nodded. "Anything else worth knowing?"

Mallina grinned. "They have got an amazing nose, better than that of a dog but I noticed that they probably are unable to pick up certain scents. Only those useful for hunting are followed."

Verya swallowed hard. "I am no hunter, what scents would that be?"

Ravenne tried to look calm. "The scent of bodies, sweat, blood, breath. The scent of fear, of death. I bet they never would even care about the smell of a carcass or something that isn't alive, like wood or metal."

Mallina nodded with a serious look within her eyes. "Yes, anything which tells them that food is available. I bet they are rather primitive in this matter too, unable to switch their attention from one thing to another. I guess that could be their weakness."

Ravenne sent her a swift smile. "So do I, we can perhaps use that fact in some way."

Verya shuddered. "Well, I do for certain hope that this is the last specimen of this race I ever will see."

Mallina made a grimace, she stared at the floors. "There is one more thing, I am rather certain that they will increase the number of attacks from now on. They have discovered that there is food available both here on earth and in Aman. If they are to be stopped they have to be stopped at the source. Trying to get rid of them when they arrive is just like trying to plug a leaking dam with a piece of cork. It will only hold for a little while, then everything will crumble for the pressure."

Ravenne closed her eyes. "We have to go there right? Someone has to go to Lithui and find the source of these invasions."

Mallina tried to smile but it became a grin. "Yes, but believe me, we will provide those who leave with everything we can get our hands on of equipment. Weapons, explosives, armor. We have some really cool new stuff that's been developed just recently."

Ravenne had a strange sensation of resignation, she would go. She had no choice, it was her destiny somehow. "Good to hear, we will need it all."

Mallina was being called upon by one of the other healers and she excused herself and had to go, they had some reports to write and deliver. Verya shook her head and she looked very nervous. "Damn, I hope she is wrong, we cannot cope with more attacks!"

Ravenne nodded. "I know, I fear for those back home, they have even less to defend themselves with than we do, they are brave but I don't think that is enough to save them if an army of these monsters show up in a city."

She suddenly got an idea, a revelation. "Mallina said UV light right?"

Verya nodded, she looked confused. "Yes, why?"

Ravenne got a dark and determined look within her golden eyes. "Because I think I have an idea, and I am rather sure that it will work too. Follow me!"

Verya frowned. "Why? To where? "

Ravenne picked up her handbag and checked that her card was in it, she had quite a lot of money and now it would come to good use. "The super marked down the block. And get someone to get there asap with the vans and a lot of crates."

Verya looked bewildered and shocked but she obeyed and Ravenne ran and rushed into the supermarked like she had an army at her heels. She ran towards the department which sold smaller electrical devices and luckily she found what she had been looking for. She had seen a commercial for them some nights ago and she grinned when she saw that the shelves were filled with them. Verya arrived and she stared at Ravenne as she filled several shopping carts with the huge flashlights. They were very powerful and could be switched to UV light just by the flick of a switch. The commercials told that they had a range almost as long as the headlights of a truck and that they would give at least five hours of strong light with fresh batteries. Ravenne waved at Verya, three ellyn had followed her. "Fill some carts with batteries, and you two, drive to the other marked on the other side of town and buy every flashlight of this type you see. Get the others to do the same, I want every available flashlight brought to the colony by tomorrows light. We have to give those back home a fighting chance."

Verya gasped, she suddenly realized the genius of this plan and she went to action with vigor. The clerk at the door looked shocked, why would anyone buy several hundred flashlights and more than forty pounds of batteries? Ravenne just grinned as she paid for the many carts of flashlights and batteries, she told the clerk that it was for a children's camp. She had no idea of whether or not the man believed her but she did not care. They went to every marked they found and bought flashlights by the hundreds. Before dawn there were no more left in any shop in a forty mile radius of the colony. Several vans were filled with flashlights and batteries and Ravenne put some others to work putting the batteries into the flashlights and making them ready for use.

Then Verya had an idea of her own, since these creatures had such good noses bearspray should be very efficient right? And then they were at it again, Ravenne was too tired now but she convinced Luin of the brightness of the idea and he agreed. He sent every available elf he could find out to buy bearspray, maze and some water guns they filled with tabasco sauce. Suddenly there was a surge of more or less good ideas and some even suggested that they bought some pounds of the strongest type of chili peppers and used them as weapons. Ravenne went to the infirmary and laid down on the bed next to Narriar's. He wasn't conscious yet but she saw that the healers had changed his bandages and one of them stopped by and left her with some bread cheese and a jug of thin ale and some milk. She accepted gracefully and the elleth told her that he was getting better by the minute. The Ce'agar had an ability to heal that was close to being uncanny. He would be weak for a few days and he would be in pain for even longer but strong enough to get out of bed. She grasped a blanket after she had eaten and laid down to sleep. She just hoped that this night wouldn't bring more death and destruction. She knew that their leaders had identified the next possible target and they were prepared now, they couldn't get the flashlights over to Aman before the morning, if there was an attack back there this night they were on their own and she just prayed that everybody she knew was safe. Before long she was fast asleep and the healers just grinned and didn't wake her up when they came back to check in on their patient, she needed her rest now.

In Tirion the day went slowly and yet so very fast. Everybody was getting ready and the vaults were closed and fires light. There was no darkness anywhere and even the women were armed. The tension was almost palpable, many were sitting there praying and the mayor sat by his own in a corner, surrounded by two barrels of his best wine and he was holding on to a ceremonial dagger so hard his knuckles were white. It wouldn't do him much good if they were attacked in there but at least he was holding on to something solid.

Outside the warriors were patrolling the wall, they had a strange kind of calm, they knew more or less what to expect and they had seen action before. Many of them had fallen in battles long ago and been re-embodied and to them the fear was something they could control. Legolas stood at the wall, staring out at the darkness which was creeping towards them as the sun set. He swallowed and had to remember another evening when he had stood on a wall like this, awaiting an attack. That time he had been surrounded by his friends, Aragorn, Gimli and others too. This time he stood alone and it didn't feel good at all. He still missed Gimli, being brought to Aman had given the dwarf a long life, much longer than normal but in the end age took him and Legolas had mourned him for years. It was such a long time ago but now in this moment it suddenly felt like it was yesterday and the sorrow and longing was as strong as ever.

He got a grip on himself, watched how the last sunlight disappeared and the night placed her carpet of silvery stars across the skies. Not knowing was the worst part of this, waiting. But he trusted these ellyn and knew that they would fight well. The bonfires were ready and so were the mirrors too. He could just hope and pray that the trick would work. Silence fell, the city seemed to be sleeping but he knew that very few if anyone was sleeping now. Vegylion walked over to him, the tall darkhaired ellon grinned, there was a strange fire in his eyes and he had put on some armor and wore two long slender blades. "I guess this is it my lord, we'll see if we can make it or not and it will happen tonight. "

Legolas nodded. "I fear you are right, my daeradar doesn't make many mistakes. Well he has done a few huge ones but not when it comes to these kinds of situations."

Vegylion nodded and took a sip from his leather flask, he held it up. "Here, take a sip, it is brandy. Rather strong but you look as if you need it."

Legolas took the flask and found himself gasping and coughing, strong? It felt like liquid fire and Vegylion laughed and pat him on his back, rather hard. "Yes, you needed it, it makes you feel quite alive!"

The archer shook his head and although the taste was very good his throat felt raw and sore. "No kidding! What is this thing made of? Dragons blood?!"

Vegylion grinned widely. "Nope, but it does burn well, I saw an unfortunate fellah spill his glass into a fire once, boom! He lost his hair and his eyebrows, all in one flash!"

Legolas eyes got narrow, he stared at the flask. "Tell me, how much of this stuff do you have?"

Vegylion frowned. "Two barrels, why?"

Legolas remembered something he had seen at a fair almost an age ago. A man had been spewing flames like a dragon but it had all been some flammable liquid and he lit it with his torch. "Just get them here, now! And find as many pocket flasks you can get, every warrior gets one."

Vegylion looked puzzled. "Are you thinking of getting the ellyn drunk?"

Legolas smiled, a rather sinister grin. "No, I think about turning them into dragons!"

Vegylion just stared but then he turned and ran and Legolas face turned serious again. Most animals fear fire, he just hoped that this was the case for these creatures too.

After a short while Vegylion and some other warriors returned, they pulled two rather large barrels after them on sleds and one had his arms full of the small leather bottles one usually gave soldiers who were going into battle. They would normally contain water but this time they were filled with something far more explosive.

Legolas gathered the warriors around him, he just hoped that this would be a good idea and not a disastrous one. "I have an idea, and I would like for the sword fighters to try it out. Try to go into pairs, one will carry a torch and keep it burning. The other one gets one of these flasks and don't drink the contents however tempting that may be."

The ellyn just stared at him, some looked a bit disappointed, Vegylions brandy was well known for its ability to chase away both fear and anxiety, and perhaps wits and wisdom too. Legolas grasped a torch and took a mouthful of the stuff, it burned his tongue and he cut a grimace but then he turned towards a wall and spewed out the liquid through the flame and it worked, a long flame burst forth and hit the wall, scorched it. The ellyn stared with huge eyes. "It is really easy, just do as if you were to spit out something nasty, and don't stop until you have nothing left. Just make sure that you wipe off your face before you go anywhere near an open flame afterwards."

The ellyn grasped the flasks reluctantly but he knew that they would obey and at least try. If fire could frighten these creatures then this would be rather efficient. He sighed. "Do not attempt to attack these creatures alone, one will distract it and the other one will strike, the throat is the weak spot and I guess that the eyes are one too. They cannot have much of a brain but try to hit it. Other than that they seem rather tough so don't underestimate them at all. "

The warriors nodded and went to their posts and Legolas grasped a flask and attached it to his belt. It was dark now and the moon was rising but it was just a small crescent and gave no light to speak of. So now they were playing the waiting game and Legolas sighed and prepared for a very nervous watch. An owl did hoot from the small forest in front of the gates, the terrain was rather steep and they had left a wooded area just in front of the city because of the danger of landslides. And the ground was covered with huge boulders and could not be farmed without huge efforts, now the forest was a nice place to let the cattle graze but it did block the view of the road towards the gates. Legolas listened to the sounds coming from the surrounding area, from afar he heard a waterfall further up the valley and he also heard some foxes argue about something down by the small lake. He smiled, nature always made him feel at ease and content and he also knew that it would warn him of any danger.

It was quiet for a couple of hours, then he suddenly heard something new, a strange almost hissing sound which appeared to come from everywhere at once and the hairs of his neck stood up. The air was loaded as if a thunderstorm was approaching and he tenses up. It was happening, he just knew it. He closed his eyes and gathered all his courage, for the sake of the defenseless females and children they had to hold their ground. He heard that some birds shrieked, a loud piercing warning sound and he raised his horn and blew it once. A short warning that made all the warriors jump onto their feet and grasp their weapons. Legolas grasped the bow he had chosen and checked that the quiver was filled with arrows. A young ellon stood by his side with more arrows, ready to refill the moment it was empty. The elf was shivering and his eyes were huge with fear but the archer knew that the young ellon would stay there to the bitter end. A weird green glow appeared just beneath the wall, inside the main square and Legolas took a deep breath and knocked an arrow, prepared to take aim. The ellyn on the roofs were ready to light the bonfires and the sword fighters were in formation, ready to strike. He lifted his head, stared at the stars. "Morilinde, pray for me tonight!"

He whispered the words as the square suddenly was filled with at least a hundred and fifty grotesque creatures. They were growling and drooling and they carried clubs and weapons similar to the one the council had been shown. Legolas felt how his focus changed, he was in fighting mode now and let the first arrow fly. It hit one of the beasts right in the eye and the thing fell like a rock and didn't even move. The others seemed unaffected and just started to move out. The bonfire was lit and the mirrors had been placed so the light reached the square, suddenly it was as light as in the middle of the day and the creatures stopped and roared with discomfort. They tried to shield their eyes and the elves went into action. Legolas saw that the archers were doing very well, they shot with amazing precision but it was very obvious that a near hit was no good. They had to hit exactly in the middle of the beasts eyes or through the jugular to kill them and some beasts soon looked like walking pin cushions.

The armor piercing arrows were very good but the flesh of these monsters was so dense the arrows stopped before they reached any vital organs. Legolas saw that several of the warriors started to use the brandy and it proved to be very efficient indeed. Flames were nothing these beasts appreciated and now the square had turned into a real battlefield. Legolas had fired his arrows and nodded at the young ellon who had helped him. "Stay up here lad, don't leave the wall."

He pulled his swords and ran down the stairs, threw himself into the battle. Everywhere the creatures were being attacked with fire and steel alike and they were roaring and screaming in confusion and rage. Even if the light blinded them they were terribly efficient and Legolas could see that many elves had gotten killed already, his heart felt cold in his chest and he knew that these creatures were much faster than a troll or orc. He ducked underneath a rock sword which came hurtling towards him and spun around while using the creature's knee as a ladder, his sword cut through the beast's throat and he saw that it fell, he then went for the next one with teeth bared and the fire of battle in his veins. Time seized to exist and everything that was in those moments were the sounds of steel against flesh and armor, the grunts and screams and the fire. Vegylion was fighting like a madman, his eyes were blazing and he fought with an elegance and strength which clearly showed that this was an elven warrior who had fought before and done that well.

Arrows still flew but the archers didn't fire as often now out of fear of hitting their own, the beasts were moving around trying to fight off the defenders and the ground was slick with blood. It looked like a scene from hell, but they held their ground and didn't let any of the beasts get through the lines.

Legolas slipped on some blood and one of those terrible blades came crashing down towards his legs, he just managed to jump out of the way and thrust his sword into the eye of the attacking monster, it let out a piercing cry of agony and twitched and fell. He felt a throbbing pain in his leg, the sharp rock shards had nicked him but the wound wasn't that large although it bled rather profusely. Many of the beasts were on fire, rambling about in a panic trying to wipe off the flames but to no prevail. They were easy targets in that state and he saw that several of the warriors used rather nasty tricks to stop them. He did see that some veterans used their spears to pierce the creature's rear and when they stopped and turned to remove the literal pain in the ass another warrior went for their throat. They could not think of more than one thing at a time. The green glow did not return, it was apparent that the magic that sent them back home to wherever they belonged didn't work when they didn't bring back what they had been sent to retrieve. The individual beasts were just cannon fodder and of no importance. It made the archer cringe, the enemy had to have huge forces to just waste some hundred like this.

Some beasts still fell for the arrows and others for brave and sneaky attacks towards their necks and corpses covered the ground. Legolas was still in a haze of fear and battle fever, he fought like never before, with both his sword and the twin knives he had carried on his back. With them he was more agile and could go for close up attacks but the sword was better at parrying attacks. The beasts were very strong and their weird blades strong too, but he had noticed that the rock shards were rather brittle. If you hit them at an angle they would shatter and he saw that some of the warriors had noticed too and switched to axes which were much better at doing just that. Some had also realized that an attack from behind was very efficient. While one distracted the beast up front another sprang onto it back, held on to its armor and sliced its throat from behind. If the attacker was quick at it the beast didn't have time to react to getting a passenger on its back. Legolas grinned and started using the method himself and he felled a few like that. At the end he found himself fighting side by side with Vegylion. The warrior had a gash to his cheek and another one to his shoulder but he was grinning like crazy and he didn't hesitate for a second. Legolas felt a strange fondness for the ellon, he reminded him of the stories his ada had told him of the ancient days, of the great battles and wars fought against the enemy.

The numbers of monsters was dwindling in a steady rate, soon only ten was left standing and then it was five and suddenly the last one was brought down and silence followed. The elves just stood there, panting, swords and bows in hand and all bloody and covered with sweat and the goo of their opponents. They were gasping for air, looking for the next opponent and slowly it dawned upon them that it was over, that the last beast was dead. Weapons were lowered, almost reluctantly and some rather nervous smiles were exchanged. Legolas blinked, it felt as if he just had awakened from some terrible nightmare, in the east the sky was getting lighter and he knew that there would be no more attacks this night. He took a look around, the place stank and he took a deep breath and gathered his senses. "Get the wounded to the infirmary, collect and count the dead and drag the carcasses out of the gates. We'll burn them as soon as we can."

Vegylion came over and lifted his flask. "Cheers, I have a few drops left of this poison, want some?"

Legolas nodded and took a rather deep draught of the brandy. It hit him like a hammer but by the Valar, he needed it. He thanked Vegylion who grinned and emptied the flask entirely. He snapped for air and his face turned red but he smiled and appeared to be very glad it was over. "Morgoth's rotten teeth! Those things are damned ugly and they stink worse than an orc lavatory. But we got them!"

Legolas grinned, he suddenly felt very tired. "Yes we got them, but they got many of us too. They are much faster than I imagined, and hard to kill."

Vegylion sighed. "We knew that some would fall, it was inevitable. These men knew what they were heading into my lord. Do not fear for that my friend, they knew. We would all gladly lay down our lives to save the innocent ones."

Legolas nodded but his eyes were sad. "We have saved this city but what with the next in line? What are we to do about that one?"

Vegylion sat down on a small decorative wall surrounding a flowerbed. He looked a bit misplaced in armor, covered with goo sitting in front of a set of very beautiful roses, but Legolas guessed that this was the paradox of war. "West of here is the land of the Valar, very few settlements are further west than the foothills of these mountains. Maybe they will change their tactics?"

Legolas cut a grimace. "And begin anew further south in Eldamar? It is a possibility but not one I like, New Greenwood is south of here, in the forests of Orome. He allowed my father to rebuild his old home there and the wood elves are welcome there. The place is well protected but I still fear for my loved ones."

Vegylion raised an eyebrow. "Of course you do. I have heard that you are married, any kids?"

Legolas shook his head. "No, not yet. We keep hoping but nothing so far."

He tried to hide the expression within his eyes, nobody, not even his own family knew that there had been a child but that it had been taken from them by the hands of a very evil and deranged person. It was a hurt neither of them had managed to get over.

Vegylion patted him on his back. "Let me give you a piece of advice lad, don't try! Just forget about begetting children and then it will happen before you both can imagine. It is those who are trying too damn hard that fail. Believe me, my wife and I tried for several centuries and she almost wore me out but to no prevail. Then we just gave up and before the year was over she was on her way with our first one."

Legolas wiped some blood from his face and felt a little awkward. It was such a bizarre topic to be discussing in such a situation. "Have you got many kids?"

Vegylion sighed but there was a glimpse of mirth in his eyes. "Two sons and two daughters if I regard my lastborn son as what he is pretending to be."

Legolas had to laugh. "Well, I did notice that he found me rather attractive. "

Vegylion just shrugged. "I do not blame him for being the way he is, nobody can be blamed for their taste in partners but he is so darn immature. My other two sons are very different from him and my daughter is a very head strong and ambitious. They are doing well but he has been given a job and title he doesn't deserve because of favors he has done. I think I know exactly what kind of favors those were!"

Legolas didn't know if he should grin or not and Vegylion turned around, an ellon approached them and he looked very tired. "My lord, we have done a count. We have seventy five wounded men but they will probably make it. We have lost a hundred and ten my lord."

Legolas sighed and rested his head in his hands, hundred and ten dead warriors, and seventy five who could not fight again for a while. They could not face another attack, it was impossible. He nodded to the ellon. "See to it that the bodies are treated with the outmost respect. Have them washed and put into clean robes. We will burn them as soon as we can."

The ellon bowed and left and Vegylion got back on his feet. "And the sun is rising at last, I was in doubt back there for a while, I feared that I had seen my last sunrise but no, this old warrior still knows how to deliver a punch. Follow me lad, there is a bathhouse here and I will make the servants prepare a meal for us. The warriors deserve it and I feel famished, it felt like a darn lifetime."

Legolas just smiled, a short melancholic smile. "Yes it does, it always does."

The night had been uneventful back at the council but everybody were tense and nervous as they gathered that morning. A courier had arrived from earth and he told them of the things the healers had discovered about the enemy. The news left everybody in a state of shock. There had been an attack back at earth that night and that piece of information made Thranduil go pale, then Tirion had been attacked too for sure. Oropher laid his hand on his shoulder, his eyes were calm but filled with both worry and tenderness. "He is alright son, I am sure of it. He has survived."

Thranduil just gasped for air and felt how his legs barely could carry him. "I pray you are right, and that their losses has been few."

The courier told them that they had been ready for the attack, they had managed to evacuate the small city claiming that there was a major gas leakage and that everything was about to explode. When people were brought out of the way they got ready with Ravenne's idea and snipers on the roofs and it proved to be a brilliant idea. The combination of the UV light and modern weapons meant that they stopped the attack and killed all the monsters without losing a single elf. That news was applauded and crates of flashlights were distributed to be sent to the different cities as fast as possible. Thranduil made sure that one crate was sent for New Greenwood too and he was a bit suspicious of this human wizardry but if his daughter had come up with the idea it was good enough for him.

The courier told them that the expedition would be sent as soon as Narriar was well enough and they all accepted that. This had to be dealt with the sooner the better. Two attacks had been stopped, so what now? Would the enemy continue following the same pattern or would it change? Thranduil tried to fit the new information into the picture, if these creatures indeed were like the workers of an ant hill then the queen was the one they had to find and destroy. And she could very well be smart enough to break out of the habit and send her gatherers to somewhere else than before. If she had young to feed they probably couldn't go hungry for that long and so they had to be prepared for another attack again the next night. It appeared that the council finally was taking this seriously and someone came up with the idea of evacuating the cities and moving the population out into the countryside. With fewer people assembled in one place at a time finding a place to attack would be harder and suddenly there was a rush of eager ideas. Some even proposed that they borrowed the fishing boats from the fishermen and let the population along the coast of Eldamar stay onboard them for the duration of this conflict. But the idea of spreading people more out was actually accepted and couriers were sent out with the message that the cities were to be abandoned and that everybody should seek shelter out in the open. They all knew that few would follow those advice, it always feels more safe to be behind solid walls than to be gathered in the woods but at least they had tried.

The council were discussing defensive methods the entire day, most were rubbish and Thranduil had to laugh at some of the suggestions, they were to be expected from someone who never had been fighting or held a sword. Those elves were very brave but he knew that the sight and smell of real blood and the fear of a real battle would have paralyzed them immediately. In the evening a rider arrived with news from Tirion, he had ridden hard and switched horses on the way and Thranduil pushed his way through the crowd to hear what the elf had to say. He felt his heart hammering and his mouth was dry. The messenger saw him and bowed, seemed to forget about everybody there. "Aran Thranduil, I have a message from your son."

Thranduil just nodded, he wasn't able to speak that much. The messenger smiled. "He told me to tell you that he is ok, he is unharmed and they managed to save the city with the help of veterans from the wars of old and some ancient weapons. They lost a hundred and ten ellyn and almost that many are wounded, they cannot survive another attack but they killed all the monsters which came, about a hundred and fifty of them."

Thranduil almost sat down with pure relief, he sighed and took a deep breath to calm himself. The messenger turned towards his horse again and took two bundles from the saddle, they were long and thin and covered with cloth and the ellon gave one to Thranduil and one to Oropher. "He told me to give you these, in case of an attack here. You may need them!"

The messenger then turned to the others there and started answering questions from them. Oropher blinked at Thranduil. "Told you so, he did make it. I bet he fought better than we ever did. "

Thranduil unwrapped the thing and stared at one of the best swords he had ever seen. It was obviously very old for the design and shape was ancient but it felt so damn right in his hand and he had to grin. A very wide and satisfied grin. Oropher unwrapped his gift too and it was also a sword, a shorter one better suited for his more traditional style of fighting, Thranduil had always favored the rather long slim blades with a slight curve and one edge and he was a true master with them. Oropher stared at the blades with narrow eyes. "I haven't seen any of those since I was a lad."

Thranduil still had that silly grin on his face and he let his hand slide along the shiny blade. "I cannot read the runes written on it, can you?"

Oropher sighed and nodded. "Those are very ancient, they were almost forgotten when I was born, they were among the first written languages we had. The text you see there is the swords name, it is named Dragons tooth. Mine is apparently called Steel song."

Thranduil almost caressed the hilt and Oropher sighed and shook his head. "Don't get too eager to try her out, you may get what you ask for, before you know it."

Thranduil just nodded. "I just never imagined that I ever would see one of these blades, wrought by the master smiths of the ancient times. I wonder who made this? It is so perfect."

Oropher sighed once more. "I guess we'll never know, much has been lost during the ages."

He turned around and grinned. "Let's go back inside, I can smell food and the day has been long. Let us pray that this night will be a peaceful one."

Thranduil caressed the sword once more, he could not help but think of those back home. He missed Nireariel deeply and he hoped that they never would have to face the horror of an attack. He followed Oropher back into the palace and he could not help but to see that the setting sun colored the skies bloodred. It was not a good omen and he swallowed and bit his lower lip. He just hoped that the gods were with them, that nothing would happen this night. The valar were powerless to stop this, they had to rely on their own strength and ingenuity to survive and put an end to the attacks. He knew that Glorfindel would join the expedition and something told him that Ravenne too would go. It made him shiver but she was an incredible fighter and she was smart too. She should have a chance and he knew that someone like her could be the difference between victory and loss. He could not be so selfish that he didn't allow her to go and thereby made their chances even smaller than before. Many had already lost their families and who was he to save his own and let others die?

There were guards placed around the palace also this evening and Thranduil stared at them with a sour grimace. None of them had ever done real fighting and the training they received here in Aman was a joke. They were too soft, even if they were willing to fight they didn't have the stamina or strength to fight for long. Maybe that would be changed from now on? In that case even this calamity would lead to something good. He said a prayer that night before he went to sleep, hoping desperately that those he cared about would be safe.

In Tirion they had removed the carcasses and burned the dead in a very sad but dignified ceremony that evening. Legolas hoped that his father and grandfather had received the blades he sent and he was happy that none of the wounded warriors would perish. They would all make it and the inhabitants were unharmed. They were cleaning up the mess and Legolas could only hope that the peace would continue. He had gotten his small wound stitched and fixed and he felt rather well in spite of the losses, he had done well. He saw the red skies and swallowed hard, there would be blood spilled also this night and he wished that they could eliminate this threat the sooner the better. Vegylion had done a great job as a commander and Legolas wondered if it was possible to give the ellon a better job. He would most certainly brag a little about the veteran. The warriors had been fighting very well and they all deserved a huge reward for their courage. He knew that the fallen were being mourned in many homes this night but they had all died for a good cause. The city had been saved by their sacrifice and he hoped that they never would be forgotten. He would stay there for a couple of days before he returned to his father, he guessed that he wasn't needed in Tirion anymore.

Ravenne slept through the night, exhausted and worn out by stress and adrenaline. She didn't know of the attack which was stopped by her lights and the other ideas they had come up with She didn't know about the carcasses they removed with garbage trucks or the hefty job with removing all the blood and gore. There were some rather tired elves who returned to the colony that morning. The mortals had not suspected anything and that was a miracle in itself. She was allowed to sleep as long as she needed to and she woke up when the sun had been up for hours. The room was kept almost dark because of Narriar and she didn't really realize where she was when she first opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling and blinked, then she slowly remembered and sat up, she felt dizzy and knew that she needed a bath and then something to eat. She heard a noise and turned her head. Narriar was tossing around in his bed, he was sweating and moaning and she realized that he was having a nightmare. She got on her feet and realized that she had slept for too long. She felt weak and disoriented and she shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Had her trick worked? She was curious and wanted to know but Narriar was more important. He threw his head back and screamed his friends name, his hands clenched the sheet so hard he ripped it and Ravenne realized how strong this elf was. Much stronger than those of her race, she knew better than to approach a sleeping warrior so she stood at a distance and shouted at him. "You are having a nightmare, wake up!"

Narriar went rigid for a second, then his eyes flew open and he turned his head, stared at her. She felt how those weird green eyes almost burned a hole all the way into her soul and she gasped. He groaned and pressed his hand to his stomach, gasped for air. She took a step closer, swallowed. "Relax, you are safe, you will be ok. You were badly hurt and you almost died, that is why you are hurting now."

He forced himself to breathe in a normal rhythm, laid back onto the bed and she understood that he had a self-control that was nothing short of being stunning. He opened his eyes again, looked at her. "Where am I ?"

Ravenne moved closer very carefully, he was unpredictable and probably very scared but he did hide it well. His tone was almost arrogant and she thought that she could see a bit of her father's demeanor in him, a leader's mask of authority and never failing control. "You are in the elven colony of earth, you and your ashim were fighting monsters and you were brought here with them. We found you and managed to save you."

He sighed. "My brother is dead, but he fought well. The spirits will welcome him, for he was brave."

Ravenne swallowed hard, his tone was so filled with grief and she hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed. "I am sure they will, how are you feeling?"

He tried to grin. "Terrible, but I have survived great injuries before, I will be fine. Who are you?"

Ravenne blushed by his rather blunt question. "My name is Ravenne, I am from Aman but I work here on earth as a guard."

He looked a bit confused. "You are not like the others then. We have seen them, talked to them. They are so helpless and soft but you are not like that. I sense a warrior in you, something wild."

She tried to smile but it became rather stiff. "You are seeing very well then, that describes me well."

He tried to sit up and groaned. "_Thaurbutz_, it hurts! Those things almost got me."

She reached out and touched his hand. "Don't move, it won't hurt so badly then. Have you seen those things before?"

Narriar shook his head, she could see how he was close to tears and she really felt pity, but also something else, something strange she never had encountered before. She had no idea of what it was but it felt almost familiar. "No, never, we were hunting to the north of our territory, it was Hithiar's spirit quest, he had seen that we should go to the mountains and so we did, and then those monsters appeared. I have never seen anything that ugly before, or lethal."

Ravenne sighed. "That is ok, just rest now. We'll get you back home as soon as you are well enough."

He grasped onto her hand, stared at her and his eyes were confused. She gasped when she saw that his eyes were reflecting light like cats eyes, as her own did. "I know you _Phivanil_, and yet I have not seen you before, I just…know you?"

She tried to smile back at him, he had described her own emotions just perfectly. "I guess I do to, feel as though I know you I mean."

He lifted her hand and before she knew it he kissed it gently. The warmth of his breath felt almost electric against her skin and he caught her gaze. "I am glad, for never have I laid eyes upon something as exquisite as you _Phivanil_, you are like the stars themselves. "

She had to giggle and then she stared back into his eyes and suddenly she felt a strange surge of energy rush through her. His eyes got huge and hers too, they were staring at something impossible, what they felt was impossible. She gasped and backed away from him and he had to let go of her hand with a whimper, his eyes were confused and hurt and she felt like a bastard, but this was too much of a shock, it just could not be. She could not be bonded with him? They had never met before, they had never said any vows, never made love. It was just not possible. He kept staring at her, his eyes full of tears and his expression utterly confused and frightened too. "_Phivanil_? What…what happened? Why do I feel …this?!"

She felt herself shiver. "I do not know Narriar, I just don't know"

And never had she spoken words of greater truth than these.

Words in Ce'agar:

_Thaurbutz_: rotten meat, a curse.

_Phivanil_: Radiant one, an endearing term used for someone of great beauty.


	7. The memory of love lost

**Chapter seven: The memory of love lost**

What doesn't kill you

Will only add to your strength

But is it indeed weakness then

What makes your heart stronger

What makes your soul sore

And your very all ache for that one

Which makes you complete

Ravenne just kept staring at him, he looked so shocked and she did feel exactly the same way. Narriar swallowed, he looked very alone and she did still pity him but now it was mixed with a weird sort of reluctant antagonism. She didn't want these feelings, she didn't want to feel anything for him. He looked down, just sat there and he looked very sad, almost broken. She tried to look at this from his point of view, it had to be very hard on him and she knew that the idea of bonding with someone was unknown for his race. He probably understood less than she did and she should really be more supportive but she felt as though she couldn't get away from him fast enough and yet she somehow knew they belonged together.

He sighed and pulled his blankets tighter around himself, he didn't look at her, the atmosphere was tense and loaded and she wanted to be gone. The door at the end of the room opened and one of the healers entered, she smiled when she saw that the patient was awake and Narriar stared at her with wide eyes, He was probably not used to seeing someone dressed like that. He tried to back himself away from the elleth who just sent him a gentle smile. "Don't be afraid, I am a healer. I am here to see how you are doing."

Narriar bowed his head, Ravenne realized that the gesture represented respect and she remembered what Verya had told her of the culture of the race. He would always submit to the will of a female, it was smart that the healers were females. "My name is Lisendre, how are you feeling?"

Narriar kept his head bowed, the respect for healers was probably even greater in his culture than in hers and something about it appealed to her. "Rather good, it aches but not too badly. I just…"

Lisendre nodded gently. "Yes? "

He made a grimace. "I need to…make water?"

Ravenne felt herself blush, Lisendre just smiled. "That is good, then we know your system wasn't damaged. I won't let you out of that bed yet so just wait for a second."

Narriar looked confused, Lisendre turned around and went to a closet at the end of the room, she took out a rather large porcelain bottle with a wide neck and brought it back. Ravenne turned her back to the whole scene, feeling how her cheeks burned. Lisendre held the bottle out towards him and he stared at it incredulously. "What?"

His voice revealed how confused he was and Lisendre understood how absurd this was for him. She continued smiling as she would to a nervous child. "You pee into that, just make sure you don't spill it afterwards. "

He took the bottle and looked a bit in disbelief but he did understand how to use it, she didn't have to show him. He pushed it down underneath his blankets and got it in position and sighed with relief when he could relieve his bladder of the pressure. Ravenne just sat there feeling very embarrassed on his behalf. Lisendre took the bottle, she took a look at the contents. "It is too dark, we need to rehydrate you, if not things could get dangerous. Your system needs to be flushed."

She turned around and carried the bottle off and Narriar just sat there, blushing and obviously very embarrassed. "I have never had to pee in a bottle before."

Ravenne scoffed. "Thank you for that piece of information."

He leaned back against the pillows again. "When can I get out of here? I feel so trapped!"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but you will have to wait until the healers says it alright. They are in charge here."

He sighed deeply, ran his fingers through his hair. It had been unbraided now and Ravenne was stunned by how thick and shiny it was. "Of course I will obey their will but I feel so helpless!"

Ravenne sat down on the bed she had used, tilted her head. "Not something you are used to I am sure?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, even when I have been wounded I have been able to move around. This is new to me, this place is new to me. It smells so funny and it feels wrong!"

The last words were a mere whisper and she knew that he probably never had been inside of a real house before, his people did build small huts made from branches and leaves and that was it. Ravenne sighed. "I know, it must be terribly confusing but do not worry, nothing here is dangerous, everybody wants to help you. You will be fine soon."

He grinned. "I hope so, I want to go home, those things were so terrible and I fear what would happen if they attack my tribe"

Ravenne swallowed. "Narriar, there is something I need to tell you about those creatures, they have attacked places both here on earth and in Aman, many has been killed and we have examined a dead one. "

He lifted his head, stared at her wide eyed. "A dead one? Someone managed to kill one of those things?! Who? I want to meet that warrior!"

Ravenne grinned. "It was an elleth, named Celegeth."

He gasped. "Then I bow to her, what courage!"

Ravenne had to agree on that, she had indeed been very brave or more correctly, scared out of her wits. "Anyhow we discovered that the creatures are a bit like worker ants, you have ants in Lithui?"

He nodded, his face turned serious and she was again stunned by how beautiful he was. "Yes, we have some big red ones, a type of very small black ones that are a nuisance if they get into our huts and then another type of huge black ones that bite like hell."

She nodded. "Then you know that the workers are genderless and just live to feed the hive, the things we have been fighting have been workers. But there has to be warriors out there too, probably a lot bigger and meaner and a queen. If we are to stop this threat we have to find and kill the queen."

He bit his lower lip and she saw the doubt in his eyes. "If the queen is anything like those monsters it won't be easy, and anthills are usually very protected."

Ravenne sighed. "I know, so it won't be easy. But these creatures has to be stopped, they have killed hundreds already, children and females included."

He swallowed hard, his eyes got a bit distant. "Children too? You are right, they must be stopped but how?"

She could hear from the tone of his voice that the idea of children getting killed upset him, it was something personal behind it. "We plan on an expedition to Lithui, some of our best warriors. We will try to find the hive and destroy it, we have a lot of weapons the humans in this world has made and they are terrible but the cause sanctifies the means. This menace has to be ended before more has to die. But we will need the help of your people to do that, we don't know the land at all."

Narriar smiled, a thin smile. "I can promise you that we will do whatever we can to help, if these things spread we will be just as helpless as you are. I didn't even manage to hurt those which attacked us and Hithiar managed to cut the hand of one of them but that was all. They were too fast and armored."

Ravenne pressed her eyebrows together. "Describe them, I am starting to believe that you two encountered warriors, not workers."

He described the beasts and Ravenne sighed, she was right. This ellon had seen a warrior and from what he told her they were horrifying. No wonder not even two strong Ce'agar warriors managed to kill them. "Then we know that the warriors are true monsters, damn. Have you ever heard of something like that? "

Narriar shook his head. "No never, nobody has seen anything like that, of that I am sure."

Ravenne made a grimace. "You don't have like fairytales of ancient monsters? Tales of something like this?"

He bit his lower lip. "I have never heard any such tales but we have one who may know if such tales exist."

She leaned forward, a bit eager to know. "Yes? Who?"

He made a grimace. "An old elleth who lives as a hermit in the mountains, she is a shaman of some sorts and she knows everything that is to know about our past. I am sure she has been there since the very beginning, nobody knows how old she is. "

Ravenne took a deep breath. "Can you take us to her?"

He shrugged. "I can't see why not but I am not sure she is alive any longer, I haven't seen her for years. She never seeks the company of others, a weird one."

Ravenne rolled her eyes a bit. "Well then, we'll try to find her at least. She could perhaps tell us if this has happened before."

He pulled his blanket further up and sighed. "Those workers, they are after food are they not?"

She nodded. "Yes, they eat people, and when they return back home they regurgitate everything. It leaves a terrible bloodbath. But we have discovered that they don't like sunlight and that the workers have weaknesses."

He put his chin on top of his knees, looked a bit lost. "I will never let anything like that happen to my people, I would rather die a thousand times. This I swear, I will help in any way possible."

She nodded. "I know, I just pray that it won't be in vain, that we will succeed."

He sighed, closed his eyes. "My tribe isn't large, we have perhaps fifty warriors and a hundred females and then there is the children. But we are fighters, we won't back down, even for those monsters."

She tried to grin, tried to make him feel as though she believed in this mission. "I am sure you won't but I am sure that nobody would ask that much of you, you are few, you cannot afford to lose anyone. That you lost your ashim is bad enough"

He nodded, eyes closed and sorrow etched into his face. "Yes, he will be greatly missed and mourned, they will sing for him through the night and dance to his honor. He is not my first loss, nor my most hurtful."

She swallowed, saw tears in his eyes and she didn't want to know, she didn't want anything which made her feel closer to him and yet she did, she wanted to know him, everything about him. "You have lost others?"

She felt like a fool there and then, of course he had lost others, knowing what she did of that world everybody probably had lost many beloved ones.

He sighed, eyes still closed and his chin was trembling as if he was about to start crying. It made him look a lot more real, more like flesh and blood. "I lost my sire when I was just fifty, he drowned in a flash flood. He was such a strong warrior, I was so sure that he would outlive me but no, we didn't even find his body."

Ravenne felt moved by his words, he didn't do anything to hide his emotions and she realized that this was the way of this people, they never did anything to hide how they felt. He sighed. "My mother perished some years later, I wasn't mature yet so our chief took care of me after that. She got bitten by a poisonous snake and the healers were too late to be able to help her. I felt as though the sorrow would eat a huge hole through my heart."

Ravenne frowned. "Tell me, when do you mature?"

He sighed. "When we are about a hundred and twenty the way you count time."

Ravenne stared at him with huge eyes. "Is that true?! Then you must develop very slowly compared with my race. We are mature at fifty!"

He cocked his head. "Really? Then you are lucky, fewer years of being vulnerable!"

She sent him a rather sheepish grin. "We aren't as vulnerable as you when we are young, we don't get ill or anything like that. We are vulnerable when we are being born or are giving birth and then in battle but that is it really"

He stared her straight into her eyes, his gaze was so sad. "Then your people are blessed beyond any other, you don't have to fear losing those close to you to death. "

She didn't know what to answer to that. She sighed, shrugged. "I guess not, among us children only die due to accidents and we do look very well after them so that don't happen very often."

He nodded. "We watch our little ones too, like hawks but still we lose them, many of them."

She saw the bitterness in his eyes and she just knew that he spoke of personal experience, he had lost a child. She suddenly felt a weird sensation which resembled jealousy, she had no idea of why but the idea of another elleth having carried his child made her angry somehow. "You have lost someone like that?"

He leaned back towards the pillows and she saw tears streaming down his face, he gasped and she saw the pain in him as something almost palpable. "I have sired five children Ravenne, none…none of them has lived long enough to become mature!"

She gasped, stared at him with huge eyes. Five children?! What in the name of the Valar? Was he some kind of stud? Then the tragedy of it hit her and she felt tears in her own eyes, his pain was so terrible to behold and she couldn't help herself, she reached out and took his hand. "Oh gods, I am so sorry, I should not have asked. I have made you upset."

He sobbed. "It is ok, I guess you should know this about me. The females like me, and I breed well, better than most."

She blushed from that piece of information but she did not doubt it for a second, he was probably the favorite of the ellith of his tribe. He had to be, he was so darn strong and gorgeous. "Still it is terrible, five children?! I cannot comprehend how you have managed to survive such losses!"

He took a deep breath, it sounded almost like a sob. "I am strong, more than most. But yes, it has almost driven me insane. I loved them all so much, they were my life, my very all."

She smiled at him, didn't for a second doubt that he spoke the truth. The Ce'agar were extremely protective of their children and very closely bonded with them. "I am sure they were."

He gasped, rocked back and forth with his eyes closed. "I got my first when I was just a hundred and fifty, it was early but I was popular already then. The ellith want the strong males, and I was strong for my age. It was a boy and his mother named him _Thethin_, it means owl in our language. He had such huge gorgeous eyes and I loved that boy, by every God how I loved him. I was so looking forward to teach him everything I knew but his life was stolen from us when he was just fifteen summers old."

She bit her lower lip, she could almost see his dead son, a gorgeous boy with huge green eyes and dark hair. "How did he die?"

He shivered and she moved over from the bed she sat on to his, felt as if she just had to do something to show her compassion. He turned around and suddenly she sat there with his face pressed against her neck, she went completely rigid but he sought comfort, nothing else than that and slowly she relaxed and put her arm around him. He sighed and relaxed against her. "He got a fever, and it didn't break. He just got hotter and hotter and he died in my arms."

Ravenne had hardly ever heard anything that terrible, she had problems even comprehending the horror of losing a child like that. "I didn't think I could survive it, I wanted to die with him but I knew I could not. And Hithiar managed to give me my joy back although it was hard on him too."

She could not help herself, she had to stroke his long silky hair and it felt amazing towards her fingers. "You were so young, I can understand that it must have been awful."

He nodded and she felt his warm breath towards her skin, it was comfortable in a strange way. "The next one was a boy too, born some thirty summers after I lost _Thethin_, I felt hope once more. He looked a lot like _Thethin_ and he was such a strong kid, he grew fast and was very vigorous and curious too, smart he was."

She could feel that he smiled, a sad smile. "Everybody said that he was a future leader, that he was head strong and brave and he was named _Athil_, blade. I was so proud of him, he was all my joy in the years we got."

Ravenne nodded. "What happened to him?"

Narriar swallowed hard, took a deep breath. "He was out hunting when he and his friends were attacked by a herd of _bishrak_, it is a type of animal indigenous to our world. Large fast carnivores which fear nothing and will eat anything. He got bitten rather badly but the wound would have been survivable if it hadn't been infected. They tried to save him by amputating the leg but it was too late. He died screaming in agony and I still to this day regret that I didn't do what I should have and ended his suffering. "

Ravenne had to gasp. "You do that?"

He nodded. "Yes, if someone is dying in great agony we will end it for them, quickly without any more pain. It is merciful."

She had to agree on that but by the gods themselves, what a brutal world. He sighed and continued. "The next was little _Ibian_, pebble. He was tiny when he was born but so full of energy and since he was born just a year after I lost _Athil_ it eased some of my sorrow, I hoped that this time it would be ok, this time my son would live to become an adult. I was wrong."

He pressed his face tighter to her neck and she felt warm tears against her skin. "He was so pretty, so sweet. Always smiling and cheerful but he died before he was five, because of the whooping cough. Many children died back then, we lost almost a third of our young ones. It almost destroyed our tribe."

Ravenne had to swallow to avoid sounding as if she was going to cry too. "That disease killed a lot of children here on earth too, before they got medicine that could cure it. "

He nodded slowly. "It was horrible, the healers could no nothing for them, some parents just could not bare it and went into the woods never to return. I can't say I blame them for it."

He took a deep breath. "I didn't sire another child again for more than a hundred years, I didn't want to. The losses had been too great and I feared losing yet another precious little one. But fate wanted it differently, and an elleth I just slept with once bore me another son. I didn't dare to hope though, I guess I treated him with a bit of distance. It wasn't that I didn't love him because I did, desperately. I just didn't allow myself to accept it completely, I tried to keep a distance just so I wouldn't get so hurt if he died. How wrong I was."

Ravenne kept stroking his hair, she had problems breathing. "_Solian_ was going to be a healer, and he was just a handful of years away from becoming fully mature when he was taken from us, I almost went insane from it. He got trapped underneath a falling tree in a storm and I just hope that he died immediately, that he didn't lay there suffering for hours."

She hugged him tightly. "What did his name mean?"

Narriar gasped. "Blessed one, he had the gift to heal but it didn't have time to develop."

She took a deep breath. "I am so sorry to hear that Narriar, so very sorry. I know it is common to lose children for your race."

He nodded against her neck. "Yes, but none has ever lost five! None has ever sired five either, so I guess I am both blessed and cursed at the same time. I have given up the hope that I'll ever have a child who makes it to become fully mature."

She felt sad on his behalf. "The last one?"

He wiped his eyes, a bit ashamed of his obvious sorrow. "Yes, my only daughter, my jewel and pride. I was so happy when she was born, the females are tougher than the young males, they do rarely die from disease and they doesn't take that many chances, this time I hoped that it would end well. That I would see her grow into an adult elleth and maybe one day see her have children of her own. It was my great hope and dream."

Ravenne felt tears running down her cheeks, it was absolutely terrible, so tragic. "That didn't happen right?"

He nodded. "Yes my little _Brhina_ passed away too, it has been almost a century since I lost her but I still miss her terribly. She was so very beautiful and she deserved her name, flower. I could have done anything for that girl Ravenne, anything."

Ravenne closed her eyes, felt his scent and his warmth and it felt right in a strange way, familiar. It felt good to comfort him like this. "So what happened to her?"

He tensed up, held his breath for a second. "Something very unusual, and tragic. Something that never should have happened."

She frowned. "Really?"

He grasped her hand, clenched it hard. "We have laws, and rules by which we live. To your people we may seem like a bunch of barbarians but we have a sense of what is wrong and right. There are few crimes among us but sometimes the lines are crossed and then the punishment is quick and rather hard. It has to be that way."

Ravenne took a deep breath, there was disbelief in her voice. "She was the victim of some crime?"

He nodded, she could feel that he was almost growling. "Yes, yes she was. And I still feel that anger, that sorrow. I didn't protect her, I didn't see the danger she was heading into."

Ravenne lifted his head, stared into his eyes and saw hurt and sorrow but also rage in them. "You have to explain this to me!"

He nodded and pressed his forehead against her neck again, moved into a more comfortable position. "We have some unwritten rules, no one is to touch an elleth before she is mature, it is forbidden. She can look like an adult but she isn't, not before the healers have determined that she is fully grown. We have ceremonies which mark that transition and then the young ones can go out and seek themselves partners and share their bodies and do whatever they like. It is seen as a most horrible crime to lay with anyone who hasn't been through the ceremony yet, both females and males and it is no difference even if they both are of the same age or yet has to be initiated. They have to wait, it is just the way it is."

Ravenne knew that this was normal in many cultures among the humans of earth, there was a ceremony which marked the transition between child and adult. "She did it before she had been allowed to?"

He was almost shivering. "Yes, she is a good example of why we have that rule. She had been eying a young ellon for some years, they were both of the same age and neither had gone through the ceremony. She was strong and looked fully grown but the healers hadn't allowed her to be initiated just yet. They thought that she wasn't ready. She didn't care, she and that boy met in secret and I guess they didn't think that there could be any ill effects of them breaking the rules and making love before they were regarded as old enough. But there were."

Ravenne was confused. "What effects? Is this something special for your race?"

He clenched her hand. "Yes, I guess so. It is very rare but an elleth can become with child before she is initiated, her body is fertile but at the same time not yet quite ready to carry a baby, not developed enough. "

Ravenne took a deep breath. "Oh no, don't tell me she died in childbirth?! That is horrible!"

He let out a strange sound. "She tried to hide her condition, and she managed to do it so well that she was too far along for the healers to remove it when it was discovered. By the spirits, I was so angry and so scared, so very scared. To our people a pregnancy is very tough, it takes a lot of an elleths strength and she has to be very healthy and strong to be able to have a safe birth and a healthy child. My daughter wasn't punished for she was regarded as a child still and neither was the ellon who had fathered the child but he was dishonored so that everybody could see that he had broken the rules. "

Ravenne frowned. "How do you do that?"

Narriar sent her a sad smile. "By cutting their hair off, they have to go almost bald for five summers before they are allowed to let it grow again."

Ravenne tried to grin. "I bet that is embarrassing."

He nodded. "Terribly, some would prefer to be put to death. But I guess that her destiny was punishment enough in the end."

Ravenne took a breath. "So what did happen?"

He made a grimace. "I am not sure if you are aware of this but in our race a pregnancy lasts for two years, and she was a little over halfway when things went wrong. She started bleeding and the healers managed to stop it at first and things appeared to be alright again. You cannot believe how relieved I was, I could have cried and I refused to leave her side. Neither did her mother, we were there with her for weeks. Hithiar had to govern our tribe, I was too preoccupied watching over my daughter."

Ravenne made a grimace. "Being pregnant for two years? Phew, that is the length of an elephant's pregnancy here on earth. I do believe that it has to be quite a strain yes."

He nodded and hid his face again, as if he didn't want to show her his feelings. "You have no idea, so there is a reason why our females are forbidden to lay with anyone until they are mature, to lose a female is the worst thing that can happen to our tribe."

He sighed and she let her hand slide through his hair again. "Then she suddenly started to bleed again and this time it war far worse, she was going into labor and I have never felt that helpless. She was my little girl, my precious gem and I could not do anything to help her, to ease her pain and fear. She struggled for three long days, at the end she was so exhausted she couldn't push anymore and the healers told us her hips weren't wide enough, there wasn't room for the baby to get out. She lost too much blood and there was nothing anyone could do, she died with the child still inside her, a most terrible and un-necessary death. I wanted to kill the ellon who had done this to her but Hithiar and her mother stopped me, they hadn't been mature enough to understand what they really were doing."

Ravenne sighed. "I know many fathers who would have killed him if they were in your place. In fact I think even many of my own people would do that."

He turned his face towards her again. "What father wouldn't? I banished him from our tribe, I think he joined another clan. I could not stand the idea of seeing him every day. That was the last child I have ever sired, if the gods decide to give me more I will of course welcome them but I have no longer any hope of seeing any adult offspring of mine."

She sighed. "That is very sad you know. I guess that you still are popular with the ellith?"

He grinned. "Yes, I have to admit that I am. I rarely sleep alone, I guess that is one of the perks of being a clan leader."

Ravenne didn't really know if she liked that information, the strange possessiveness she felt towards him was unnerving and she was still very confused. The bond she felt to him was an impossibility but still real. He sighed and leaned towards her, heavily. "Just sit here Ravenne? I feel so well with you near me."

She made a grimace. "Ok, but I cannot stay for very long. I have duties."

He nodded. "I know, but you ease my pain."

He closed his eyes and she felt his hot breath towards her skin, he leaned into her as trusting as a child and it moved her a bit. She stroked his hair once more. "Then I will stay here for a while."

He grinned and nuzzled her neck. "Thank you"

She remembered what Verya had told her of the affectionate ways of the Ce'agar. He sought comfort and she would feel like a bastard if she denied him that but it felt weird. Nobody had ever done that, sitting next to her like that just enjoying an embrace.

After a while Lisendre returned with a huge bottle of water and gave Narriar a strict order to drink it all, he didn't look too happy about it. Ravenne remained sitting next to him and he did drink the water but he was muttering some words which had to be rather strong curses in his own language. She was considering getting up when a messenger entered the room, he stared at Narriar with huge eyes and went a little pale. The Ce'agar did look very exotic to anyone not used to the race and Ravenne just sighed. "Yes, spit it out!"

The messenger nodded nervously. "I am here to tell you that your brother Legolas managed to avert the attack on Tirion last night, they used fires and flammable liquids, and they fought the monsters well. They lost a hundred and ten ellyn and many were wounded but the city was saved, as was the one here on earth."

Ravenne let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank the Valar, but that could mean that the next attacks can come already tonight? Gods, this is both good news and bad ones."

The messenger tried to smile. "They are gathering the members of the expedition as we speak and the experts are gathering equipment. They will send both modern weapons and those well known to you all. "

Ravenne made a grimace. "That is good, I have serious doubt that it is possible to kill the warriors with the use of a sword, not without getting killed. Tell them I will go to, I demand it!"

The messenger smiled. "They anticipated that, you are most welcome."

She sighed. "Yes, I bet I am."

The messenger bowed and left the room and Narriar looked at her with curiosity. "You have a brother? Like a real brother?"

Ravenne grinned. "Yes, well, Legolas is my half-brother. We have the same father but not the same mother. My father was married to an elleth who was Legolas mother but she died and later he met my mother and married her, I have a sister and a brother too, full siblings."

Narriars eyes were wide. "You have three siblings? Your father has four living children?! _Lhekk_,(damn) he is a lucky one!"

Ravenne had to laugh of his expression. "Yes, and my brother Astarion has four children of his own, so the family is large."

There was something sad in Narriars green eyes. "Your father has grandchildren, I bet I never will live to see that day. Four by one mate, that is …strange to us but I guess that is the way of your race. "

Ravenne nodded. "Yes, we mate for life, usually we only marry once. My father remarried because he didn't really love the female he was married to first, she wasn't bonded with him. The marriage wasn't really true in the eyes of our people, so he was free to marry again when he met the female he was meant to be with, my mother."

Narriar frowned. "Still, I envy him, four children!"

Ravenne tilted her head. "One elf who lived a very long ago had seven sons, but he did something very stupid and that family ended up getting completely wiped out. He was a genius but he created something that drove him and others with him insane. It was their undoing."

Narriar didn't look as if he believed that. "Seven? And he had one wife? She must have been one exhausted elleth!"

Ravenne laughed, how typical for a Ce'agar to think like that. "Yes I guess that poor Nerdanel was a bit tired."

There was a knock on the door and Verya came in, she looked shocked to see that Ravenne and Narriar was sitting like this, so close and she lifted an eyebrow in a very curious expression. Ravenne just made a grimace.

"So it is official, you are going!"

Ravenne nodded. "Yes, I am. I don't know if I should be excited or terrified."

Verya shrugged. "A little of both perhaps? A little fear is just useful. But I spoke with the head healer now, she wants to know if there is somewhere to keep Narriar until the expedition leaves?"

Ravenne frowned. "Can't he stay here, it will only be a couple of days?"

Verya shook her head rather vigorously. "Nope, they need the infirmary in case there is another attack with wounded coming in. I suggested your apartment."

Ravenne gasped. "You did what!"

Verya grinned, a rather mischievous grin. "Come on, your apartment has few windows so little light to hurt his eyes and it is rather large and cozy too. It is just nice that the two of you learn more about each other, you will after all have to be cooperating soon."

Ravenne rolled her eyes. "Cozy? Damn you Verya, it is a mess! And large? More like an overgrown closet if you ask me!"

Verya just shrugged. "It is a lot larger than mine, I have to go outside in order to change my opinion so they felt that the offer was a good one. He is to stay at your place until you leave."

Ravenne could have strangled Verya, she sighed and rolled her eyes. Narriar was staring back and forth between the two ellith. "I will not exploit your hospitality in any way, if I am not welcome there has to be some other place I can stay? Is there any forests here?"

Ravenne turned around. "No, you misunderstand me, you are most welcome, it is just that I haven't had time to prepare, I haven't had guests for years and my place is a bit…untidy,"

Narriar sent her a little smile, it was a bit naughty and he looked very charming. "Don't worry, my hut is infamous for being a death trap, weapons and stuff everywhere."

Ravenne sent him a seemingly sweet smile while she gave Verya a gaze filled with daggers. "Then I guess it will be ok, just be prepared for something very different from what you are used to."

He nodded and looked as if he was looking forward to seeing her apartment. She turned to Verya. "You got me into this freaking mess so go do something useful while you are at it. Go to the market and buy food, the only thing I have in my fridge is a bread that has grown a green beard and some milk that was old when Morgoth was ruling in Angband."

Verya scoffed but nodded. "What do you want me to buy?"

Ravenne sighed. "Food, meat, vegetables, bread, some ale, perhaps a bottle of something stronger too. "

Verya rolled her eyes but took Ravenne's card and left and Narriar looked a bit confused. Ravenne smiled to him. "I will explain that later, I guess you hunt your own food but here we have something called money and we use that to trade things between each other."

He looked very nervous all of a sudden. "I think this world of yours is more strange than I imagined. "

Ravenne sighed deeply. "Oh you have no idea!"

A healer came in after a short while and she smiled and made Narriar lay flat down. She pulled the blanket down to his hips and Ravenne had to blush, he was indeed amazing, she had never seen a physique like that before, the wounds were nasty and red but they had closed up and the healer examined them gently. Ravenne had problems believing that these were the terrible gashes she had seen but she guessed that it really was true what they said about the Ce'agar. It was almost impossible to kill them. She had to stare a bit and she did see that Narriar noticed and that he liked it too. He grinned at her as the healer finished her job. "You doesn't need bandages any more. I think the stitches can be removed tomorrow evening."

The healer turned towards Ravenne. "I trust that you are familiar with removing stitches?"

Ravenne almost backed away. "Yes, I am, but do I have to?"

The healer nodded. "It will be easier like that, just use some strong pliers, he is almost completely healed already, the redness is just the outer layer of skin. You cannot do any harm to him."

Ravenne cringed and nodded. The healer smiled. "They told me that he is going to stay with you, that is perfect. We don't have that much room here and we fear further attacks. I will organize for transport so he can stay with you from tonight."

Ravenne just sent the elleth a rather hostile glance but kept smiling, she didn't like this situation at all. She just hoped that Verya did buy enough food, she would bet that he was able to eat huge meals. She threw a glance at him, turned toward the healer again. "Please, find some clothes for him? He cannot walk around like that!"

The healer nodded and giggled. "Nope, not buck naked. It is a sight to behold but I understand. I shall see what I can do."

Ravenne let out a sigh of relief. The idea of having him walking around wearing only his birthday suit was a bit disturbing to say the least. The healer left and Narriar grinned and blinked at her. "You liked what you saw ha?"

Ravenne blushed, she just had to turn around. She remembered what Verya had said, the Ce'agar males were always ready and willing and she realized that it could become a problem. She had absolutely no interest in getting intimate with Narriar, no matter how attractive he was. She had made herself a promise and she intended to stand by it and never forget the disappointments of the past. He pulled the blanket back up and stared at the ceiling. "I am a bit scared Ravenne, I know nothing of this world."

She felt how her anger disappeared with his reluctant and yet soft words. "Don't be Narriar, we will take good care of you and in a few days you will be back home again."

He sighed. "I fear the others think I am dead, I just hope it hasn't ruined everything."

She smiled at him. "It will be alright, I am sure it will."

He just sighed and looked a bit melancholic, almost sad. He stared at the ceiling again and she tried to feel less offended by what Verya had done. The place was a mess yes but at least it was safe and warm and she would of course do whatever she could to keep him happy while he was there. She just feared that the cultural shock would be a rather overwhelming one on his behalf.

A servant came with some food and Narriar looked at the plates and bowls with narrow eyes, he had no idea what this was. Ravenne sat down next to him again and placed the food on a small table by the bed. "That is moshed potatoes, a sort of root. And this is porridge made from oat, a sort of grass seed. And this is honey, and this is jelly made from berries."

He sniffed with suspicion in his gaze. "I know what honey is, but don't you have any meat?"

Ravenne grinned so he could see all of her teeth. "No meat for you yet buddy, they don't think your stomach can handle it until you are completely well."

He groaned, stared at the porridge with a sad expression. "This is food for an infant, not for a grown ellon!"

Ravenne sighed and sat down, stared him straight into the eyes. "Know what? Let's make a deal, if you eat now I will get you some good meat later, ok?"

He sighed so deeply she had to laugh, then he nodded and Ravenne took up a spoon and presented it to him. "You use this stuff here to eat with, feel free to mix some of the honey and the berries with the porridge. "

He took the spoon and studied it, stared at the food and dipped the spoon into the porridge with a grimace that told her he didn't expect this to taste like anything that was anywhere near pleasant. He took a mouthful and she could see that he had to force himself to swallow, she had to laugh again at the expression on his face. "If this is the stuff you Aman elves live on it is no wonder most of you are such puny ones."

Ravenne nodded and grinned. "We do eat meat too, but not much of it. I guess you eat almost only meat?"

Narriar nodded and forced himself to take another mouthful of porridge, he made a grimace and stared at her pleadingly. "Oh _Ihm-shag_,(dog-puke) this is so vile. Do I really have to eat this? It is…it is like eating vomit!"

She stared him straight into the eyes. "No it is not, it is good for you so finish your bowl, that is an order!"

He growled but obeyed and she got a feeling that was a bit giddy, he did follow her commands and she knew it was because she was a female. She was suddenly very glad she wasn't born as a male. "We do eat mostly meat yes, but there are berries and roots and fruits and nuts too that we gather and eat when they are in season."

She nodded. "As it was also for my ancestors. They ate what they found."

He ate the whole bowl but his face told her that he didn't like it even a bit. He wiped his mouth afterwards and she placed a glass of ale in front of him. He sniffed it with obvious suspicion and then he took a very careful sip of it. Ravenne stared as he looked seriously shocked and took another sip. Then he emptied the glass and belched, she frowned and he realized that he had done something not so very polite and blushed. "Sorry!"

Ravenne had to laugh, he held his hand over his mouth and he was blushing. With that type of table manners the next days was going to be very exiting indeed.

In Aman the day had gone by peacefully, some had left the cities but others stayed and they had brought the flashlights to most of the cities near the portals. A crate was on its way towards New Greenwood too but it hadn't reached the place yet and would not for a couple of days. It was a long way to go and the wagon didn't move as fast as a rider would.

The palace where the council was being held was silent that evening, many had left to take care of their families and there was little left to be done. Oropher and Thranduil would wait until Legolas returned from Tirion, then they would leave together. Thranduil wanted to see the expedition leave, he wanted to send a message with them for Ravenne and he felt nervous for her. It would be a very dangerous job and he could not help but fear for her safety. He knew that Glorfindel was going and so were also three other ellyn who were veterans from several wars, a healer would also follow them and a scholar. He suspected that the scholar would be Erestor but he wasn't sure. As long as that person knew what he was doing it didn't matter who it was. The night fell fast and the darkness didn't bring any peace or rest, everywhere people were awake, nervously awaiting what this night could bring. The cities were guarded now, but everybody knew that a few guards were useless if the monsters chose to attack.

A little north of the bay with the harbor lay a rather large flat area of Northern Eldamar where people made a living raising cattle and horses, it was no large cities there, just small villages and those who lived there regarded themselves as rather safe. That night some of the farmer awoke hearing terrible screaming and roaring from terrified animals. None dared to leave their houses, they hid in the basements and shivered in mortal fear until the first morning light came and revealed the awful truth. The horses had mostly managed to escape, they were too fast and too nervous to be caught but the cattle and the sheep was another story. Most of them were simply gone but a huge amount of half eaten carcasses were left and some wounded animals which lay there moaning in agony. The elves had to go around and do the very unpleasant job of ending the sufferings and tears and wails of grief were heard many places. The monsters had found a source of food there and it was one that was easy to exploit but there were few animals left now. The horse herds were too precious to be risked and the horses that had been killed were mourned like family members. To an elf a horse is almost like a brother or sister and the losses were heartbreaking for those dedicated to breeding the best available animals.

Messengers were mounted and rode towards Valmar and the other cities to tell of this, the attacks would probably happen again. It was very hard to protect a huge herd of animals and they had no way of defending them other than spreading the herds out as much as possible.

In New Greenwood the morning had been peaceful. Nireariel had prepared the palace for the evacuation of most of the inhabitants and many had already arrived and helped with the further preparations. Many had lived in the Greenwood of old or Mirkwood as it too was called and they knew how to prepare for war. Nireariel felt nervous, she had this nagging sensation within her heart all the time and she just hoped that their realm would be left unharmed by this. She was finishing helping the servants hand out blankets and such when she heard that someone called her name. She dropped everything she held and ran downstairs towards the entrance. The huge solid stone doors were prepared to be locked and she swallowed when she saw them. Usually they were pushed aside and not so visible. A rider stood on the outside with his horse by the reins, he looked pale.

Nireariel stopped and stared at the ellon. He was one of the forest elves who lived by the river far south in the area they had gotten from the Vala Orome and she knew that he was of Avari origin, they rarely tried to keep in contact with others. "Yes?"

He bowed his head in respect. "My lady, my people have discovered something awful. We live close to the edge of the forest and on the plains there are huge herds, among them herds of buffalo. We heard roaring and screams last night, when the light returned our scouts saw that several huge herds had been completely massacred. It was just blood and fur and pieces left. It was a gruesome sight."

Nireariel went pale, then this side of the mountains weren't safe at all. The monsters went for the food regardless of where it was. She gasped and he bowed his head. "I have ridden for hours, I need a new horse if I am to return to my people."

Nireariel took a deep breath. "My friend, you should not ride back, it is dangerous. You should get your people to join us here, the palace is safe."

He just smiled. "My tribe is one of those who live with the forest, we will not leave it. The trees will protect us, we can climb and we can hide. Do not worry for me my lady."

She sighed. "Very well then, go to the stables and they will give you a well-rested horse."

He bowed for her. "Thank you my lady!"

She had to lean against the wall and she fought her sensation of panic. Others had to learn of this but it was many days ride back to Eldamar. Even to Tirion it took several days. She just stood there and didn't see that Astar came walking towards her, he hawked and she jumped and stared at him with huge eyes. "Daughter, what is it?"

She had to fight herself in order to stay calm enough to talk. "I just received a message from the avari elves living by the border river. The monsters have eaten several herds of buffalo."

Astar sighed and closed his eyes. "Then the entire land is in danger, not just Eldamar. Damn it. And it was last night? I do not think that Yvanna will do anything about it, even if it happened in her area."

Nireariel nodded. "We have to let those to the east in Eldamar know of this but how?"

Astar smiled. "I know how, we will use the pigeons Thranduil brought here some months ago. They will try to return back home and we will attach the message to them. At least some of them will make the journey."

Nireariel just sighed. "Well then, go ahead, send some birds. I will warn everybody of this. There are probably plenty more game to find on the plains but when they are done eating those poor animals they will go for the next best thing and that will be us I fear."

Astar just nodded and left and Nireariel remained standing in the doorway for several minutes, staring out into the sunlight. It felt as if though shadows were creeping up around her, and she shuddered and for the first time the palace felt like a safe place and not a prison. She touched the solid stone walls with her long slender fingers. "Please be enough to keep us safe, please keep them out."


	8. Shopping meetings and plans

**Hmm, ants, mud and leeches? Sounds like quite a combo wouldn't you think, I just want to torture the characters a little, to serve my wicked muse. I got the idea reading another fan fiction story, someone mentioned that getting undressed in the woods could bring the risk of ants invading your clothes and bingo, an idea was born.  
I am a little on the humorous side too here, but its also a lot of serious stuff. Thranduil gets a small lesson about racism and yes, he is in love with her but are his feelings returned? Will she surrender to the inevitable? Where in this picture does the ants, the mud and the leeches fit in?**

Definitely an M, you are warned. No, they won't go all the way, yet!

**Chapter Eight Ants, mud and leeches**

You may see the path you once wandered

The path ahead is yet unseen

Forget the things you thought you knew

And a brand new world you will know

It was difficult, he really had no idea as to what he should do. He could not insist on staying with her the whole time but with every breath of air he felt how he longed for her. Shanrae had kept Thilian company, and then Ghuad and Thranduil had not really managed to ask if he could stay with her again. After all, why should he? Then he remembered what she had told Shanrae, that he had promised her to be her teacher and he felt a glimpse of hope. But still he had to wait for a while so he wouldn't seem too eager and so he trained and did his everyday routines as before. It did not really work, he felt distracted and could not quite put his heart into it. There was no point in it if he didn't push himself and so he offered to help Dheg with the horses instead. Good hard work ought to help him clear his mind and he discovered that he actually liked it. He liked to feel useful, to do something with his own hands and Dheg was impressed by his attitude and willingness to help.

He was dead tired when he went to bed that night and fell asleep like a log the second his head hit the pillow. The next day he tried to muster up the courage to visit Thilian but Raigh caught him first. He had been busy training some apprentices and now he needed someone who could test them and discover their weaknesses and flaws. They needed someone used to fight in a different style than the one they were used to and Raigh believed that Thranduil was a good choice. And besides from that, he could need the practice too. He could not disagree, Raigh was right, he could need some practical challenges and he also needed to feel useful. He was given charge of a small group of ten young men and he soon discovered that he liked it. He really enjoyed testing them out and he was surprised by how fast they learned and saw through his entirely different strategies and moves. They showed him such respect and were so polite and neither of them knew of his royal status. They respected him because of his skills, not because of his name or background and that feeling was in fact very good.

He also helped Dheg and so a couple of days went by before he had a chance to speak with Thilian again. He felt horrible for having waited for that long, he had a huge empty void within his soul when he was away from her and it made him a bit cranky. She was getting better, the wounds had luckily not gotten infected and were healing just fine but Shanrae was furious because the girl tried to scratch them. It itched like crazy and even though that was a good sign and showed that the wounds in fact were healing fast it made the girl go almost insane. Shanrae was very grateful when Thranduil offered to keep her busy for some hours each day.

He knew how awful it had to feel to be confined to that one room for several days, and he wished to lighten up her mood. He brought some paper and a pencil and tried to draw things he had seen back home. Thilian was fascinated, she made him draw portraits of important people, maps and even images of the dress styles of different races. He had not been drawing for years but his skills seemed to return and he found it both entertaining and in a strange way rewarding. Slowly he also started to teach her the elvish words for different objects, he drew them and wrote the name underneath and she kept the drawings and studied them when he was busy elsewhere.

She was still a very introverted person, she rarely opened up but when she did she revealed a girl filled with curiosity and wonder. It appeared that these few moments of freedom appeared when something caught her attention to a degree where she forgot about herself and existed within the moment. She was so wonderful when she did, so alive, so vibrant and in every way stunning. She embraced life with such joy and he could see that she could be just as mischievous as Enez and as firm and adamant as Akisha or Frostbird. She had a small naughty streak to her too, and he wondered if she had been a rather difficult one to raise.

Somehow she reminded him of a wild animal that's been trapped and kept within a cage for too long. She had almost given up her hope of regaining her freedom. That mother of hers had a lot of things to answer for, too bad she was dead. Thranduil felt he would have liked to teach her a lesson or two. Thilian still had her fits, she could shout at him, try to act as if he wasn't there or use insults so bad he was shocked by the very fact that she knew those words. But she was making progress, he stood his ground and never even once did he allow her to get him out of balance emotionally. Slowly she started to relax when he was around and the frustration and anger she sometimes caused within him he vented when he was working.

The apprentices were making progress too and he was a little ashamed of himself when he realized that he had expected them to fail. He really had been more than a little prejudiced when it came to the skills of such young humans. He had started helping out whenever he could and he soon discovered that it was appreciated and welcome. He learned a lot he never had fought about before, at home he had expected everything to be in order and ready whenever he demanded it, he had never really realized how much work that had to be done in order to just organize say a small party.

He still could not touch her, she would back off and throw a tantrum if he did anything more than touch her hand by chance, but she was getting better. It was a slow process but she had started to trust him and he knew that he would have to get her to trust him completely before he even thought about taking it to the next level. Then one evening when he was pushing the apprentices through their routines a couple of strangers rode into the arena. They were welcomed by shouts and cheers and dismounted outside of the stables. Both wore thick cloaks and the tallest of them let go of the reins and pulled his cowl down. It was a young man, a human with a handsome face and a friendly appearance. He did have weird eyes though, they seemed to almost glow in a strange blue nuance and Thranduil felt a strange chill run down his spine. He knew he was facing something unnatural, something only very ancient and wicked magic could create. His instincts had never let him down and his mouth went dry while his heart was speeding up. It was crazy, just one man could not possibly be a threat and still his body went into defense mode right away. The others seemed to welcome him so he was no enemy, Thranduil didn't really know what to do.

Then the other rider pulled of the heavy cloak and he yelped, he could not help it, he let out a rather startled and shocked little noise filled with confusion. A black elf?! He had never even imagined a creature like this. It was a female, and she was indeed black. Black skin, black hair and black eyes which seemed to have a strange red glow to them, and still she was a beauty to behold. She was very elegant and moved with undeniable grace, she was rather tall and reminded him a bit of Akisha, she had the same relaxed and smooth moves which could turn into lightning quick and lethal action within the blink of an eye. She reminded him of a black panther, of a mamba or even a bit of Ghuad. Steel wrapped in silk, death disguised as beauty.

The man noticed the sound he made and frowned, Raigh apparently explained who he was and signaled Thranduil to come closer. He reluctantly did, sensed that this couple was something so out of this world he really had no way of making any sense of what he felt. Raigh grinned. "Thranduil, this is Janrem and Carmariel, they live her but they have been visiting his home city for some months. He was homesick."

Janrem looked at the elf with a friendly and very open expression within his eyes, he saw that the stranger was shocked by Carmariel but they had gotten used to that by now. People either found her very fascinating or they ran away. This elf looked as if he couldn't decide which option to choose. "Pleased to meet you."

The man reached out and Thranduil did shake his hand but got a major shock, the hand was rather cold and he could not feel any pulse, any life. The elf gasped and Janrem smiled, a melancholic smile. "Yeah, you are right, I am not alive but I am not dead either, Long story, but don't worry, I mean no harm. I only hurt those who deserve it. Believe me. "

Thranduil just nodded but could not help but feel a bit of antagonism, this was downright wrong, unnatural. Janrem appeared to be a truly likeable person but Thranduil did not quite manage to overcome his initial response. The black elf looked at him, smiled. She cocked her head and he realized that she was very young, even by human standards. He was startled by her appearance but he sensed that she had been through a lot of hurt in her life, that they had something in common. Her story had to be a very violent and ugly one indeed for her to develop such an aura of darkness and fear. Thranduil tried to be polite, he bowed to her and took her hand, kissed it even and she giggled and her eyes seemed to sparkle. "How chivalrous of you."

Her voice was smooth and gentle and his initial fear subsided, she was just another type of elf. Raigh grinned. "Come friends, I bet Jalisa is going to explode with rage if you don't visit her right away."

Thranduil remained standing there, looking at the two who disappeared through the doors to the dining hall, why had he reacted in such a way? He had the answer after a round of introspection, he always expected trouble, dangers even. He never met someone thinking of them as a new friend until he was proven that they weren't an enemy. He had gotten so used to being negative towards changes he really expected the worst the whole time.

He finished the training session and then he helped Dheg train some young colts before he had a bath and a short swim. It felt good to get rid of the dust and grime and he was getting rather hungry so he went to the dining room. It was full, because of the show they had hired more people to help prepare everything and Jalisa and her girls were running around with a bit of desperation in their glances and their arms filled with jugs, plates and cutlery. He sat down but he could see Ghuad waving at him and so he got up again and sat down by Ghuads table with a feeling of being under scrutiny. Ghuad smiled and emptied a jug of ale in a most impressive time and Jalisa dropped a plate in front of the elf. It was filled with a piece of steak so huge he shivered just looking at it. Back home he did not really eat meat a lot, it wasn't their habit. Here on the other hand it was part of the everyday diet and he had gotten used to it but it still made him cringe when he was presented with such huge portions. Ghuad smiled and looked at the cook through the corner of his eye, he was smirking. "She is trying to fatten us all up, I swear she is."

Thranduil just grinned, he felt sorry for the poor bull this steak came from. Carmariel came and sat down by the table to and he could not stop staring at her. She was so very different. Ghuad cleaned his teeth with a toothpick. "So, how is the training going?"

The elf had to smile, he felt a bit proud of himself and of the apprentices not the least. "Well, I am really impressed by how fast they are learning."

Ghuad leaned forward and grinned. "You know, it is rather common to think that way, to underestimate humans. They live such short lives and they do so many weird things, but I am telling you, they are really a lucky bunch. It is like they squeeze everything we spend centuries or even millennia exploring into just a few decades, they really enjoy a distilled version of life. I envy them that sometimes. "

Thranduil looked a bit shocked by the things Ghuad told him. "Really?"

Ghuad nodded. "Compared with us they are like shooting stars but just watch what they accomplish within the short time they have. It's like that in every world my friend."

Thranduil had a feeling that Ghuad knew about middle earth as well as this world, after all, Elywen had told him there were an almost infinite amount of worlds. "I have not really liked humans, there was a time when I really hated them."

Ghuad nodded. "I know the feeling. I was once a rather bad one, then I was captured and had to spend some millennia within a mountain as a sort of guardian, damn, being left alone for that long does something to you. So when the people here set me free I decided to serve the goddess and learn more about humans, I was really curious about them."

He shrugged. "I used to see them as inferior creatures, little more than insects. But I have learned to respect them."

Thranduil sighed, he felt a little ashamed of himself. He had been so damn arrogant, he had never even considered any other race than his own worthy of attention. "I have too, but I guess I have more to learn. I have been rather stupid in some ways."

Ghuad grinned, his teeth were rather scary but the grin was pretty none the less. "Listen up, believing in what you have been told is no sin, but being too damn lazy to check things out for yourself is. I mean, I was told that dwarves were stubborn, arrogant and stupid. I have learned that yes, they are stubborn but they are also amazingly robust, far less interested in wealth than I expected and very family oriented. The more you learn the more you realize how wrong all the old tales are."

Thranduil stared down into the table, he sighed again and looked at Carmariel, she had finished her food and was licking the plate clean, it was such a weird thing to do but it told him she was used to living close to starvation. "My father was very friendly towards the humans who visited home, but I hardly ever met any. I was under the impression that humans were almost like us, at least for a while. "

Carmariel looked a bit curious. "Really, what happened?"

He took a deep breath. "Some friends of mine got killed by a group of humans, they were bandits, villains only out to seek death and destruction. Three of my friends got killed right away, but they kidnapped the only female and the youngest male."

He looked down, the memory was an old one, he had barely come of age when it happened but he still remembered it. And he remembered the shock he had felt when he realized that there were people out there who were able to do such terrible things.

Carmariel was leaning back. "I guess one's experiences have a great impact on the way you view the world. What happened to the two they captured?"

Thranduil swallowed hard, his voice was shivering and he was glad they all did speak common or at least something so close to it the differences were minor, he did not want to repeat this. "When we found them the young ellon was already dead, he had simply let go. What they had done to them…"

He grasped on to his jug, just to hold something. "She was still alive, but she died just a few minutes later, she told us what had happened and then she too let go. She did not want to live anymore, not with the memories of what they had done to her. Those sadistic maniacs had raped them both, abused them in ways so terrible I couldn't believe it. I had never seen real evil before, but now I did and it scared me so bad I never completely trusted human beings again."

Ghuad nodded, his eyes were calm. "I can understand that, but remember, there is good and evil in everyone, race is irrelevant to such matters. "

Carmariel grinned and caught his glance. "Listen to him my friend, for he is wise. Back where I am from dark elves are the bad guys, at least most of them. Yes my skin is dark and so are the rest of my kin but their hearts are even darker still. It is how you are raised and what you have experienced that shapes someone into becoming a thing of evil, not your birth. I am a good example, if I was like my kin you would all be in danger, believe me. But you are not, because I was raised to embrace the light, and taught to seek what's good."

He had a little problem being able to imagine elves as evil but the look within her eyes convinced him, perhaps he really should reconsider his racist attitudes.

Thranduil grimaced and tried to eat but he had lost his appetite and just grabbed some fruit from a bowl. He wondered how Thilian felt about such philosophical questions, she seemed like a rather intelligent person and she was such a fast learner too. He was looking forward to their next lessons. He had not answered her question yet, he had taught her a lot of elvish already but not the meaning of those two words, he felt the time wasn't right.

Thilian on the other hand was bored, she had not been allowed to leave the room yet and Naragh checked in on her every day. The wounds were healing but she still felt a little weak and light headed. It was probably just natural since she had lost a lot of blood and Jalisa made sure she had plenty of nutritious food. She tried to walk a little and she did manage to stay on her legs but it did hurt and she was glad the injury hadn't been worse. Shanrae had the others there visiting her as often as possible just to keep her company and it did make things a little bit easier. She did try to make the time pass by in different ways, she tried to sew a little but it was boring. Enez came and told her a lot of rather funny stories and even Akisha dropped by and entertained her with some tales of her youth. She also tried to draw, it was not as easy as she had though it was, it fact it was rather difficult but she tried and since she was stubborn she did not want to stop until she got things the way she wanted them.

She was working on a drawing when Elywen dropped in, she had brought a couple of books and the tall elven female sat down and smiled. Thilian always felt a bit in awe of Elywen, they were of the same race almost but Elywen was so wise and so very sure of herself. She seemed to be almost perfect and Thilian was so envious of her in many ways. She thanked the flame haired woman for the books and sat down with the drawing again. Elywen cocked her head and her eyes got a bit narrow. "Why are you drawing him?"

Thilian gasped and felt herself blush, she was really trying to make a portrait of Thranduil and although it wasn't all that good it did show his personality rather well, both his rather haughty exterior and his far more likeable inner qualities. Thilian looked down, she tried to smile. "Ah, I just like to draw him, he has got such a special face wouldn't you say?"

Elywen nodded. "Yes, he makes quite an impact no doubt, you are rather good, that is a nice portrait."

Thilian grinned, she was not used to being praised in such a way. She suddenly remembered the words he had said and without really thinking she asked Elywen. "You are an elf, do you know what Meleth nin means?"

Elywen frowned. "Yes, it means my dear or my love. Where have you heard those words?"

Thilian swallowed, tried to act like nothing. "I guess I read them somewhere. "

Elywen could sense that the girl was lying and she sighed and closed her eyes for a second. Of course it could be true but her instincts told her that this was something else than just something Thilian had read. Only one person would have used those words and Elywen also knew that no elf would say something like that to anyone without meaning it. So that was the truth behind it all, this was the reason why he had been brought there.

Elywen looked at Thilian out of the corner of her eye, did the girl feel the same way about him? Thilian had great problems but would they stand in the way or had he already managed to break through her ice wall and reach her heart? Elywen just hoped he had, Thilian deserved all the love in the world and she knew that this stranger from a different world perhaps had just the right amount of sheer stubbornness and will to slowly turn Thilian around and onto a different path altogether.

Thilian waited for Elywen to leave, then she held the portrait up and felt her face burn red. What was she really thinking about? He was a friend, a very good friend but he could not possibly think about her as anything more than that, or could he? She felt so very insecure, so frightened. She had no idea of what it was that she felt whenever he was there, and she could not really dare to believe that he cared for her. Her mother had time and time over again told her that nobody else than herself ever would care, that everybody just wanted to exploit her and that she never should trust anyone. She had believed her mother's words for years but now she started to doubt them. Her mother had told her that nobody ever would want her, that she was a freak and that men only wanted to quench their desire with her body before they would leave her behind like trash.

It had been a truth she was rather familiar with, she had seen it in the eyes of many, and she had been thankful that her mother had warned her of the dangers. But now she started to doubt that all men were that bad. Ghuad wasn't that kind of a person for sure, he was treating her as if he was some very kind and protective big brother, the others at the circus were nice too. None of them looked at her in that specific way that made her skin just crawl.

She had looked at herself in a mirror several times, and she knew that she looked good, better than good actually. But she could not really believe that anybody would find her beautiful, her mother's words had grasped a hold of her and ruined much of her self-esteem. Thranduil had treated her like she was someone special, as if he really cared about her. And those words, did she really dare to believe that he felt anything for her, more than friendship? She did not really know how she felt about that idea, a part of her felt almost furious and the other half shivered with joy. She had seen through his façade just as he had with her, he was haughty, proud and sometimes just plain arrogant but it wasn't who he really was. She was sure that he was a completely different man when he was with his son, that he had hidden sides to him he never allowed anyone to see.

But could she dare to trust him? Her fears were still there, she shivered whenever anyone touched her even if it was by accident and she still felt like she had to strike first to prevent herself from getting hurt. But she knew the people at this place, she trusted them. They would never hurt her, never betray her or disappoint her in any way. Whenever she reacted in her usual rash ways it was simply because she was so used to that type of behavior she just didn't think about it and then she started to hate herself for being such a fool and grew even more angry. It was a vicious circle indeed and she feared where it would lead her, but she had been unable to break free from its spell. Now on the other hand she started to feel some hope, perhaps she could become someone else, the person she wanted to be. She was so close when she was with him, when he made her forget all about the past and caught her attention with his drawings and his tales. She loved to see how his eyes shone when he spoke about his son and the wonders of his own world and he too appeared more relaxed and more likeable in those moments.

She did look forward to their meetings and she tried to impress him by studying as hard as she could. She really wanted to see him smile at her, praise her for her skills and intelligence and sometimes his calm friendly voice brought her close to tears. She never allowed him to know this but it felt so damn good to be told that she actually could do something well. She wasn't used to it at all. He acted as if she was just Thilian, a normal person and not some weirdo born out of a rather unethical and secret experiment. He did not care, or at least it didn't seem that way.

She remembered when he rescued her and she started to think of him in a whole different way. She had never had anyone special in her life, she had closed her heart to everybody and tried to be strong by standing alone. But she too had longings and dreams, she too had dreamt of having someone special by her side, someone who was more than a friend. It made her ashamed of herself to think like that but she knew it was natural. She was a grown woman now, and although her experiences so far in life had been bad it did not mean that all such longings were bad? She remembered the few times he had touched her, it would have infuriated her just a week or two ago, now she allowed herself to dwell within those memories, cherish them and make them precious.

It was not until one evening in special that she finally started to realize what she really was heading into. She had been allowed to leave the room for the first time after her accident and she had walked along the stands with the help of Enez and Frostbird. Thranduil and Raigh had been training some men in the arena and the elf was demonstrating how a spear could be used with different fighting techniques. His movements were so fluid, so quick and yet so powerful and she had not been able to look at anything else. He wore only a loose white shirt and some rather dirty pants but he could have been wearing silk and satin, he did look like a king no matter what he wore. Enez and Frostbird did notice her eyes and her expression and they shared some rather mischievous glances, she was as easy to read as an open book. They had stood there watching for quite a while, Raigh was obviously someone the men admired, they knew him and they knew of his title, one they all wished to achieve. Thranduil on the other hand was a stranger but they sensed his authority and bowed to it without ever questioning him. He had discovered that he had a talent for this and he enjoyed the sessions a lot. He could even smile and share a joke with the men and it filled him with a new sensation of camaraderie and acceptance. It felt very good.

Thilian felt her cheeks burn when they started walking again, she had to get a real grip of herself so she didn't turn around and stare, it would reveal way too much.

That evening when she went to bed she had problems sleeping, she could not get him out of her head. She was tossing and turning around for a long time until she finally fell asleep due to pure fatigue. She woke up in the middle of the night with her sheets in a complete tangle, herself almost out of the bed and soaking with sweat. She gasped and managed to pull herself into the middle of the bed again, she had been dreaming, and what a dream! She blushed and covered her own face with her hands, how could she be so shameless? She had never had that kind of a dream before and didn't know whether to feel glad or scared. Her body ached, it was a pleasant ache but a nuisance none the less. She was no idiot, she knew what it was that she felt, knew what this insane longing was all about. Her nipples were hard and sensitive and she knew she was wet, and the images were still glued to her mind. She untangled the sheets, felt how her heart slowly found a more normal rhythm. She was shivering a bit and felt like giggling, no doubt she did have a very vivid imagination.

But it opened up a whole new set of questions, she had to be honest with herself. She could not deny what her heart was telling her and what her body had started to demand. She wanted him, and she wanted him bad too judging by the things she had dreamt. But could she dare to allow something like that to happen? Could she really trust him that much? Her mother's words still haunted her, if she let him have her, would he then turn his back on her and just forget her? Or did he really feel something for her, something stronger than just common lust? She sighed, he had never tried to make any advances towards her that indicated that he saw her as anything but a very dear friend. He had never tried to kiss her or touch her in any way that wasn't completely innocent and maybe he just thought of her as a friend and not as a female at all? Then she was in trouble, she could not lie about her feelings. Only the thought of him being with her in such an intimate way made her blood boil.

Did she dare to invite him? Could she even flirt? She had never tried to catch a man's attention in that way before and what if she could not control herself and went into a panic attack again? By the goddess, things had become very complicated, so much so that she felt like the thoughts would make her go nuts.

Thranduil tried to keep himself busy at all times, he managed to keep her out of her mind but not all the time. Raigh had noticed how absent minded the elf sometimes were and he soon understood why. The rumors were already flying thanks to Enez and Frostbird and it appeared that everybody there knew of the problem the elven king had. There was a lot of sniggering and whispering but he did not notice. He was so preoccupied with his own attempts at keeping his feelings hidden and under control he failed to see that he actually was doing the exact opposite of what he intended to do. He only felt well when he was with her, and his temper could flare and cause sudden outbursts when they had been apart for too long. Elywen told Hawk he acted like some love sick youth and the dark elf laughed and agreed. Thranduil would have been stunned if he had been able to see his own behavior, he was really showing off both his good and bad sides.

Shanrae was going to visit Thilian when she suddenly stopped in front of the door, she could hear Thilian laugh and it was a sound she rarely ever heard. It made her so stunned she just stood there and listened to the voices coming from the inside of the room. Thranduil was there and his voice was relaxed and warm, very friendly. Shanrae felt a bit ashamed of herself, she had no business eavesdropping like that but she felt like she had to. He had apparently told Thilian a joke because the girl was laughing so hard she had problems breathing. "And then they discovered that the woman he had brought with him for the night was in fact a half dwarf!"

Thilian was laughing again and Shanrae stared at the wall with a rather dumbfounded expression on her face. By the Goddess, he had managed to do what she and Ghuad had not, not in spite of years of effort. He had reached her! Shanrae felt like sitting down, it was a shock but a good one, a good one indeed. She and Ghuad would be grateful beyond words if he managed to patch her wounded soul back together again. Perhaps it was the sheer fact that Thranduil wasn't really trying to push her into anything that made it possible for him to reach her in such a way. Shanrae and Ghuad were almost like parents to Thilian and like some young people she was instinctively trying to free herself from their influence.

Shanrae had heard the rumors, so had Ghuad and even though they really didn't know whether or not to believe in them Shanrae now knew there was truth to them. Thranduil was in deed infatuated with Thilian and not just a little. They had noticed his wildly shifting mood and strange behavior and Shanrae sniggered to herself. He was trying to hide his emotions but it was like trying to hide a black dragon within a herd of sheep.

Shanrae had a strange grin on her face, she did regard Thilian as a friend, not as a step daughter. That would have been just weird since Thilian was just a few years younger than herself. Maybe it was time to have a small conversation just the two of them, she was really curious about Thilians emotions. If she felt the same way as him it was good, in fact it was wonderful. But if she did not then it would be a whole different matter. Shanrae knew that Thilian was very inexperienced when it came to men but she was an adult and far from ignorant. There had to be a way to make her reveal her true feelings. Shanrae would not let her friends suffer because of anything she could help them solve.

Thilian had told Thranduil a joke about a farmer and a goat, it was a very filthy one and the elf had looked deeply shocked at first, then he started to laugh a little and before long he was letting go of his dignity and laughed out loud. He had repaid with a story of his own and soon they had a small contest going on. The one telling the worst story won and they both tried to remember jokes and stories they normally never would even admit to having heard. Elven jokes are usually very long and complicated but she did manage to catch the point and giggled and laughed at the right places. Hers were more straight to the point but still funny and he enjoyed them. She did indeed have a small naughty side to her and he started to wonder how that could affect other aspects of her. He was very careful as to not reveal how he felt but that lively and somewhat wicked glimpse within her eyes was really attractive.

Thilian grinned again and closed the book she had placed within her lap, it was an illustrated guide to the different kingdoms of this realm and she had been showing him some interesting pages when they had drifted into telling jokes instead. She felt a bit tired and knew that he soon would have to return to his duties but she did not want to let him get away. "Naragh has told me I am as good as new, and I remember you promised me to show me more of the forest? The weather is nice so what about a small trip tomorrow?"

Thranduil swallowed, the two of them alone in the woods? He tried to smile and look relaxed and scolded himself for having such thoughts right away. "Of course, if you feel like you are well enough. Can you ride?"

Thilian put up her most innocent expression. "I thought I could sit up with you? I felt so safe the last time?"

Thranduil managed to keep his voice steady. "That's fine with me, I will tell Dheg to hold a horse ready. After breakfast?"

She nodded. "After breakfast!"

Thranduil nodded and said his goodbyes, he felt a small shivering sensation of anticipation and he had a feeling that this could be quite a challenge. How in the name of Eru was he going to keep his self-control with her in front of him in the saddle? He turned on his heel and headed for the baths, a cold bath was what he needed. Why had he agreed on her plan? There had been something strange within her eyes, something he had not seen there before and he wondered what it had been. It was almost as if she had some hidden intentions? He shook his head to clear his mind before he entered the baths.

Shanrae did not dare to talk with Thilian that evening, she feared that she would reveal how she had spied on the two of them and she knew that such actions always caused Thilian to go ballistic with anger. She was a bit like some overgrown teenager and Shanrae grinned and wondered if Thilian knew how cute she was when she was angry. But she had overheard the plan and she had a small sense of worry. Thilian should not really need a chaperon, she was a grown woman and could do whatever she pleased but Shanrae was if not unable to trust her not sure if her friend was aware of what she'd might be getting herself into. Shanrae trusted Thranduil but there is a limit to everybody's patience and if Thilian went too far she probably didn't know how hot blooded elves were and how hard it was for them to rein in their emotions and needs once they were awakened. Shanrae wondered if she should give Thilian a few words of advice but decided not to. Fate sometimes weaves an intricate pattern and it is not for those entangled within it to see the whole picture. She just hoped that Thilian didn't do anything stupid or rash that could leave her or the both of them hurt or in trouble.

The next morning was very beautiful with a clear blue sky and Thilian had a feeling of determination within. She wanted the truth, and she did not want to wait for it. If he regarded her as just a friend then be it, she would long and suffer in silence. If he on the other hand was interested in her also as a possible lover it was nice but it also made her a bit nervous. She would be dancing on a razors edge between revealing too much of her feelings and not enough and how was she going to make him express his true intentions? She would have to deal with it when the moment came and so she tried to look at it just as another entertaining and useful lesson.

He stood ready by the stable when she came walking, unbeknown to her he had been swimming for a whole hour in rather frigid water and his hair was still wet and his skin a strange nuance of blue. She looked at him with a puzzled expression and he just sent her a somewhat sheepish grin. Dheg had prepared a huge gelding for them, the animal was strong enough to carry two people and so steady and calm you could land a dragon right in front of him and he would not even wince. Thranduil could see that the saddle was a rather huge one with enough room and he breathed a sigh of relief. Dheg patted the horse on the neck. "He can handle just about anything, but he is no racer. Just remember that and old Blaze here will take good care of you."

Thranduil gave Dheg a polite smile before he turned to Thilian. She had a small bag tied over her shoulders and she was wearing a pair of loose pants, a long tunic and a robe dyed deep green. She had braided her hair into a long braid and she looked just stunning. She could have been wearing nothing but old burlap sacks and ash and still looked like a queen, he bowed and she grasped his hand with a very sweet smile. "Ready for a day in the woods?"

He nodded and lifted her into the saddle, he jumped up behind her and grabbed the reins. This horse was somewhat sluggish compared with the ones he was used to but perfect for a quiet ride. Thilian appeared to be remarkably relaxed and he was enjoying her joyous descriptions of what she was seeing and how she felt. Before they even reached the city gates she had told him how the smells of the city made her feel sick and she had joked about the street vendors and their never ending shouts. She claimed that they sounded like a murder of crows and he had laughed and agreed.

The forest felt like a sanctuary, a place of sacred rest and calm and he was so happy he once more was surrounded by its life and vitality. He started to tell her the elvish names of plants and animals and she repeated them eagerly. He corrected her every now and then but she was rather good with languages and learned with an incredible speed. He let her decide where they were going and she entertained him with stories of things she had learned about the history of these realms. It was fascinating and he gave it his full attention, Thilian was glad he was in such a good mood, he had put his royal self on the shelf and was making jokes and just enjoying himself. She had to make him open up to her and tell her whether or not he had meant those words. She turned a bit, looked at him. "Could we please take a break, my rear is getting a bit…tender!"

He laughed and pulled at the reins, they had stopped by a small pond and it was a very inviting small meadow surrounding it. Blaze just dropped his head and started to chomp away at the tempting grass and Thranduil jumped off the horse and raised his hands to lift her off the animal. Thilian was leaning forward and she was getting ready to slide down into his arms but her robe snagged on the saddlehorn and she made an unplanned movement forward to release herself. The robe loosened but she had too much momentum forward and instead of sliding gracefully down she almost flew forward and caught him completely off guard.

Thranduil suddenly had her entire weight coming down on him from a rather steep angle and he took one step backwards to regain his balance. Unfortunately for him he placed his foot right on that one loose rock that slid underneath his weight and before he knew it he fell onto his back with Thilian on top of him. His first reaction was one of slight embarrassment, he had not been that clumsy in a very long time. Then he noticed how she had landed right on top of him and tried to determine whether or not he had hurt himself. There was no pain so he turned his attention to her. She had a rather weird expression on her face and he did not really know whether or not she was in shock because of the physical contact or the fact that she had managed to knock him over. Then he did notice her in a whole different way, she lay on top of him, her firm warm body pressed against his and since she was where she was he got a rather interesting view of her chest. The tunic was rather loose and low cut and he jerked his head back and stared straight up at the skies. Her scent was invading his nose, her hair was tickling him and he could feel her breathe. Thilian looked down upon his face, it had an almost pained expression and she reached out and got some loose locks of her hair out of the way. The touch made him shiver, he could feel heat gather up within him and it was heading for his crotch area, this was going downhill at express speed. "Did I hurt you? You did not reopen any fractures?"

Her voice was so sweet, so innocent and he had no idea of how she was grinning to herself, oh she knew how he was feeling. "No, nothings broken, get off!"

She cocked her head and reached forward, placed her face close to him so they lay there cheek to cheek. "Why? Am I too heavy?"

He moaned, his blood was boiling and not lifting his arms grasping her hips and pressing her against him was a monumental effort. She was obvious oblivious to what she did to him and he did not want to startle her, he was supposed to take care of her, not take advantage of her. "No, you are not heavy, it's just that…"

His voice was so hoarse she barely could understand him and she lifted herself a bit. By doing that she did slide a bit further down and she suddenly felt something pressing against her hip, something rather hard and she could not pretend like she didn't notice it. He gasped and his eyes were shut, she could feel him shiver. There was no doubt, he wanted her but was it just because she turned him on or would he want her to stay with him for more than just a few quick rolls between the sheets? Any man could become aroused in such a situation, she was not so naïve that she thought otherwise. He whispered. "Please, get off me, or else…"

She caught his glance, stared straight into his eyes and there was a glimpse of mirth within her eyes. "Or else what? I know you you know, you won't rape me or something like that. Admit that you want me, I can feel it, it is rather…protruding!"

He was horrified and also in a strange way relieved, the cat was out of the bag, now what? "I want you Thilian, more than you can ever imagine."

She sighed and rested against him once more, she laid her ear upon his chest and heard his heartbeat, it was fast and heavy and she smiled to herself. She stared into his face once more. "Know what? My mother once told me that nobody ever would want me, because I was a freak, a monster. You have no idea how precious it is to me to know that I am wanted, by someone who knows the truth about me and still doesn't care."

He was suffering, he wanted to grind himself against her, flip them over and just let go of all control but he could not. "I don't give a damn what you are Thilian, all I know is that I want you, that I love you. But please get off me before I do something we'll both regret"

Thilian had a strange fire flickering within her golden glance, he could smell her body and the scent was changing, she was getting just as aroused as him and the very thought almost frightened him. One of them had to remain cool and under control, he was sure as hell no longer able to think straight. If she was as affected as him anything could happen and by the Valar how he wanted just that. But he should not touch her, it would not be right. She was an innocent young woman and had no experience with desire or lust, if she was to give herself to him she should do so knowingly, not with a mind caught by her primal instincts.

Thilian leaned forward once more and suddenly he felt her lips against his own, they were so soft and warm and she tasted of spices and berries, he wanted more of it, he wanted all of her. He had his arms wrapped around her before he knew it, kissing her back with desperation. Thilian was enjoying it but her own reactions scared her a little, she was burning again, her body craved something yet unknown to her but she did not seem to be able to control it at all. She thought that she could but no! She was pressing herself against him and before she knew it she was rocking her hips back and forth against his very obvious erection. There were several layers of cloth between them but they could might as well have been naked, it felt like nothing he had ever experienced before.

It was madness, pure and exhilarating and he could not help it, he was unable to push her away from him. It just felt too good, her kisses did lack expertise but by the Valar did she have zeal, enough for several people her size. Thilian was playing with his hair while she kissed him and then she found his ear and played with the pointy tip of it while she let her tongue slide along his lips. The reaction was one she had not been prepared for, she could feel him tense up underneath her, and then he shivered violently against her and made a weird noise. Thilian stared at his face, contorting with pleasure and she felt a sudden need to giggle like crazy but she did not. Instead she stared into his eyes in utter disbelief once he opened them again. His glance was dull and distant and he blushed, he actually blushed! She lifted herself up and bit her lower lip, unable to determine whether or not she should laugh. "Ah, did you just…?"

She held her hand in front of her mouth to hide her grin. "I mean, was that…?"

He closed his eyes in utter shame, gods, was there no end to his humiliation today? First he tripped over a small rock and now this. But the feeling of her hand on his extremely sensitive ear combined with the kiss and her hips grinding against his had been just too much. It had exploded within him before he had time to brace himself, it had felt so damn good he had wanted to scream like some maniac but he did not, he did not want to frighten her. And now he lay there and knew he would have to wash his pants, he had to laugh. He was really hopeless, one could almost believe that he was a young and innocent ellon and not an adult. But it had been far too long since he had allowed a female to touch him, no wonder his body was so out of control.

He smiled at her, a somewhat embarrassed smile and he stroked her hair gently. "You are going to be the death of me my dear, if you continue like this I am gonna be completely exhausted before we even manage to get undressed."

She giggled and bit her lower lip, to watch him had made her feel rather weird, she almost wanted him to roll them over and just go for it. "I am that attractive?"

He let his hand caress her chin. "A natural born temptress I think would be the right definition of it. Gods, I am so embarrassed. But at least your virtue is safe for the time being, it was in real danger there for a while."

She smiled at him once more. "You know, it is in fact quite a compliment to me, that I make you so desperate you spill yourself like that."

He had to laugh. "Yeah, and please by the Valar, don't tell anyone. They would tease me to death if they knew"

She nodded. "I will keep my lips sealed, I swear. Nobody will know!"

He sighed with relief and relaxed, he still had that good floating feeling within his body, he felt heavy and relaxed and didn't want to let go of her just yet. His most desperate need had been sated and so he could enjoy laying there without any risk. She was so soft and warm and he started feeling a strange tingling he had not encountered before. What was this, he had never felt like that after having sex? Now it was an itch more than everything else and it was everywhere or so it seemed. He twitched when he suddenly felt a sudden sting of burning pain on his left leg, then another further up his right one. Thilian frowned and looked confused, she stared down and then she got on her feet with a small shriek. "Ants!"

Thranduil felt his face burn once more, they had landed on top of an underground anthill. And now those pesky little insects had made their way into their pants through their pants legs. He got on his feet with a shout too and tried to shake the bugs away but there was a lot of them, and they were moving up on the inside of his clothes. Thilian was squealing, she had a lot of ants in her clothes too and she ripped her robe off and ran towards the pond. That was a good idea, he thought about the same thing and started ripping his clothes off. Thilian had almost reached the pond, she stopped and got rid of the last pieces of fabric before she jumped into the water without looking back. He did the same, desperate to get rid of the ants crawling everywhere. She was covered with water to her neck and she was scrubbing off ants with zeal, he could see that these were the damn red type with a nasty bite and a very aggressive behavior. He cringed whenever he felt a new bite and tore off his shorts before he too jumped into the water. He went under and rubbed himself with his hands, the bites he had received did burn in the water and the pain made him hiss slightly. The water felt sticky and uncomfortable and he looked down. It was a mud pond and their movements had stirred the mud. Perfect!

He sighed and helped Thilian get rid of the ants that were crawling in her hair. Then she helped him the same way and finally they were freed from the biting menace. Thilian had a strange expression on her face, her eyebrows seemed to twitch and then she bent her head back and started to laugh. It was a very hearty laughter and so blessedly free from worries and sorrow. He felt the corners of his mouth beginning to move and before long he laughed too. Thilian got a devilish expression on her face and suddenly she threw a handful of greasy fat mud at him. It hit him right in his face and he just stared at her in shock for a few seconds before he returned the favor with a wicked grin. Suddenly they were flinging mud at each other while they laughed and squealed like kids. Thilian was laughing so hard she could barely breathe, they both looked like some kind of mud monsters. They were completely covered with the thick grey substance and only the whites in their eyes and their teeth stood out against it. "I bet this is good for the skin, back in the city I know ladies who pays a lot for a pound of good mud!"

Thranduil was gasping for air, he had not laughed like that for centuries and it made his stomach ache. "Wonderful, we're covered in wealth!"

Thilian giggled and she dug mud out of her eyes and face, she was just so wonderful, so free and relaxed. He grinned and threw yet another handful of mud at her, she let out a joyous little squeal and ducked, the mud just hit the top of the pond and splashed everywhere. Thilian shook her head in disbelief. "How the hell are we going to get rid of this?"

The elf nodded towards the forest. "I can hear a stream not far from here, I bet there are some ponds deep enough for us to bathe. "

Thilian sighed and tried to get more mud out of her hair, it was no point in even trying without running water. Thranduil grinned. "You may go first, I won't look I swear. And even if I did all I would see would be mud!"

She giggled and waded towards the edge of the pond, she had to struggle a bit because the mud was rather thick and Thranduil stared at their clothes and wondered how they were going to get all the ants out of them. Just shaking them would probably be enough if they were shook vigorously. He was making a plan on how they would get redressed when he heard Thilian make a strange sound, it sounded like a choked sob. He turned around to see her standing at the bank and she was staring at her legs. At first he did not understand why she looked as if she had frozen completely but then he noticed something within the mud. Elongated shapes which appeared to be pulsing?! He felt a wave of pure disgust rush through him, suddenly he was setting a new personal record in sprinting through mud and he could not believe how fate seemed to curse this day. First the fall, then his very embarrassing release and the ants and now leeches! This proved to be one hell of a day for sure.

Thilian tried to grab the leeches and pull them off but they were too slick and he knew that it was impossible to get rid of them that way. He looked down, he too had gotten his fair share of the disgusting creatures, in fact he had a lot more than her. Maybe they favored elven blood? Thilian stared at him and her eyes were filled with tears, she was so repelled by the sigh and feel of these invertebrates clinging on to her she was close to throwing up. She shivered uncontrollably and looked so utterly helpless. "We have to get a fire going, you can make them let go by burning them with a stick"

Thilian hissed, her eyes were black and the horror within her soul made her just act without thinking. ""So it is fire they want? Fine!"

She just shook herself and then flames were dancing around her everywhere, clinging to her like a second skin. Thranduil had to swallow a startled cry, the leeches exploded and blood and bits of leech flew everywhere. He looked down and yelped, the same flames were dancing around his body and he froze and started to shiver out of sheer terror. Fire, the one thing he really truly feared. His leeches exploded too and left blood seeping down his body from several small wounds. Thilian cried out and shook all over in a violent mixture of emotions. She had a feeling that something was crawling under her skin, everywhere. Then she noticed his face and his eyes and her own feelings were forgotten. He was utterly terrified, so scared he could not move and she remembered the terrible injury he had shown her and realized what she had done.

She whimpered and let the flames disappear is if they never had been there in the first place, she ran over and embraced him and he let go of his breath and appeared to be almost swooning. "Oh I am so sorry, I did not think! Are you alright?"

He managed to calm himself down. "Yes, yes I am, now! That's quite an ability"

His voice was trembling and she looked up into his eyes. She feared to see his emotions towards her change into fear but he just looked impressed. She sighed with relief and steadied him towards the stream, they were both covered with blood and mud and looked like some sort of swamp monsters, if someone had seen them they would have been running for their lives. The stream was not very wide but deep and slow flowing and the water was clear and clean. Thilian jumped in with a yell, the water was cold and although it felt amazing to be rid of the mud it made the ant stings and leech bites burn a bit. Thranduil followed right behind her and he did dive and swam underwater to get the mud out of his long hair. He was shaking himself and the sight of him like that with the sun making the droplets on his skin glitter was just breathtaking. Thilian managed to get rid of the mud and the water was so cold it made her shiver. She jumped out of the stream and ran towards the meadow again. She shook her clothes and stomped on them too just to be safe. Then she hung them on a branch and sat down to let the sun dry her. She did not care if he saw her naked anymore, she had nothing to hide.

Thranduil also shook his clothes and he was quite a sight to behold, she had never seen a more beautiful physique before. She allowed her eyes to slide across his wide shoulders and back, over his very nice muscular ass and narrow hips and she giggled a bit and had to look away when he turned around. She felt a little uncertain once more, even now when he wasn't aroused the sight of him was a bit unnerving. She blushed and looked down, she had no doubt there could be some discomfort the first time they did it, to say the least. He sat down and then he lay down in the grass, just relaxed and he closed his eyes and he had a small smile on his face. "I think I'll just lay here like this, I won't be a danger to your virtue if I can't see you."

She sighed but felt rather at ease. She knew how he felt and she had to decide what to do next but there was no need to make any decisions yet. She too closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax and enjoy the suns warmth and before long she was deep asleep. Thranduil heard her breathing change and he turned his head and looked at her with an affectionate look upon his face. He had said it out loud, there was no point in playing games any more. The only question was how fast she allowed them to move forward? He closed his eyes once more, he could be patient, she was the one who would set the pace and it was almost a sort of relief to be the one to follow and not the one to take the lead. He too soon dozed off and the old horse looked at the two with an indifferent gaze before it swatted a few flies with its tail and continued its attack on the lush green grass.

_**So, what do you think? Is it gonna be smooth sailings from now on? Naaah, I don't think so muahahaha! **_

_**I am thinking about writing down the story of the friends he lost, but it will have to wait until this one is done, or else I will be stuck with half a dozen half-finished projects I fear. My creativity is kind of running off with me at the moment. I never suffer from a writers block, I suffer from a writers over load. **_

_**Reviews are always welcome and thank you very much to every reader **_____


	9. Revelations and seduction

This chapter is absolutely rated Mature/adult, things are…ahem…heating up!

**Chapter Nine: Revelations and seduction**

What was hidden will be seen

What was forgotten remembered once more

What was sleeping will awaken

A truth will be revealed

And it will forever change who you are

Narriar hesitated when they had entered the room, Ravenne had found a pair of pliers, a small scissor and a bottle of cleansing liquid in case there was some bleeding. He didn't really know how she preferred to do this and Ravenne made a grimace. "I guess that you should take of the shirt again and lay down on the bed, by the way, take the pants off too, the wound on your belly is rather large and the stitches are a bit low."

He obeyed and she was relieved to see that he had put on a pair of underpants. They were a bit tight and revealed a bit too much for her liking but he did lay down on the bed and she stared at the lines of stitches. The wounds were almost completely gone, just a slight redness in the skin told that they had been there and she gathered her courage and washed his skin with the liquid. He had such amazing muscles and she just could not comprehend how the terrible wounds had healed so fast. She sat down on the bed next to him and took the pliers. "This might hurt but just relax, I don't want to make it worse than it has to be."

He smiled and folded his hands behind his neck, stared at the ceiling. Ravenne started with the wound on his chest where he had been impaled with that spear, it wasn't that large but the stitches were many and she cut the thread first and then she pulled it out. She worked fast, in the beginning he twitched slightly with every thread she pulled out but then he got used to the pain and stopped reacting. He just stared straight up and she found that a bit peculiar. Narriar didn't mind the pain, it wasn't that big a deal after all, just some short stinging seconds for each stitch and he was used to far worse. But the way she leaned over him was a whole different problem, her thin shirt did nothing to hide the fact that she had a very nice set of breasts and her hair tickled him where it touched his skin. And she smelled so good, by every spirit how good she smelled. He wanted to bury his nose in her hair, embrace her and just pull her down to him. She then continued with the wounds on his stomach, there had been several deep gashes and she removed the stitches from the top ones first, it was not easy because he was breathing and she could feel the warmth of his skin and his more masculine scent teased her nostrils.

She just wished that he hadn't been that attractive, she tried to work fast but that just made it hurt so she had to slow down again. The last gash was below his navel and he had to pull the top of his underpants down an inch for her to reach the last stitches. He twitched now, the skin in that area was more sensitive than that on his chest and she was dangerously close to even more sensitive areas. She touched him and he felt that his blood was starting to boil, he had to think about the most disgusting things he had ever seen but it didn't really work. He was suffering, he shivered and it took all of his self-control not to reach up and touch her.

Ravenne finished the last stitches and then she did notice his grimace and the fact that his pants had become even tighter than before. She gasped and backed away from him, he squirmed and sighed. "Sorry, but I cannot help it. You touching me just feel too good."

She had to swallow hard. "Right, I believe you. That looks…uncomfortable!"

He moaned and closed his eyes. "It is, it hurts. Those underpants are made to torture people, I am sure of it!"

Ravenne had to grin, she had heard that before. But it was no doubt of the fact that it had to be very uncomfortable, she blushed and bit her lower lip. It looked as if he tried to turn the fabric of his pants into a tent and she realized that Verya was right, the ellyn of his race were impressive. Narriar moaned and made a grimace. "Please, you must either leave and let me take care of myself or help me, it won't just disappear now that I feel like this."

Ravenne blushed even harder, help him? What did he really believe about her? Narriar swore and lifted his hips, slipped his underpants down and she stared at him with huge eyes, she gasped and turned around. Impressive? She was wrong, he was almost intimidating, but he wasn't bad to look at. He was just as beautifully shaped as any other elf, he was just huge but she guessed that with his height it wasn't such a weird thing. She gasped and he whispered her name, almost pleadingly. She turned her head again, rather reluctantly. He was already stroking himself, panting with dark eyes and his mouth half open, the sight made her heart speed up and she felt that weird tingling sensation again. She should leave but somehow she could not, the sight pulled at her like a magnet pulls at filings and she sat down next to him once more. Narriar looked at her, his eyes glazed over with lust and pleasure. "Please Ravenne!"

She let her hand slide over his skin, caressed his wide chest and he gasped and closed his eyes. She felt his heart beating hard, felt how he was breathing fast and how his body shivered. She could smell his arousal, his readiness. She remembered what Verya had said and some part of her whispered to her that she should go for it, let him take her. He could do it, no doubt about that but she had made herself a promise and she had to stand by it or did she? Had the things she had based that promise on changed? She had started to feel things she never had even imagined before and had started to understand that her curse somehow didn't matter with him, she was normal when he touched her. He kept moving his hand and the sight was so unbearably erotic she had to whimper and stare at his face again. He was groaning and making grimaces and she hesitated for a few seconds, then she let her own hand join his and he let out a strange sound and bucked his hips up towards the touch. He was shuddering and she was fascinated by the sensation, he was so hard but at the same time his skin was so soft and he reacted to her touch with such exquisite sounds of pure pleasure. She felt a strange warmth within, a heavy sensation and she suddenly wanted to feel what it would be like to have him completely. She didn't dare to, she just kept caressing him and he accepted it without questioning her, used as he was to give in to the wishes of a female.

He groaned. "Oh Ravenne, I should not let you do this, not without offering you pleasure in return, it doesn't feel right!"

His voice told of the distress he was in, he wasn't used to just receive such treatment, his main objective was to please his partner, his pleasure was just a bonus and this made him feel awkward, he didn't really know how to react. Ravenne felt more courageous and she started exploring him further, caressed him both gently and with obvious fascination and he just lay there and tried to endure. He was sweating, gasping and squirming and she knew that he was getting close, he was twitching in her grip and she could see the first drops of clear liquid on him. Why she did it she had no idea of, she bent down and let her tongue caress him and she heard that he took a deep sharp breath, then he let out a weird whimper and she suddenly realized that this was something entirely new for him. His people probably had no concept of oral sex at all, at least not for the males. His eyes were huge and black and he stared at what she did with utter disbelief. "Ravenne, do you have neighbors?"

She shook her head. "No, why?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Because, if you do that again I am gonna scream!"

Ravenne could not help it, she got a wicked grin before she went down once more and this time she did more than just licking, she had tried to give a blow job once and although it had been a rather clumsy attempt without the desired effect she did know how to do it. Narriar almost sobbed, then he just closed his eyes and surrendered completely to her, he was shuddering all over and she remembered what Verya had told her about the weird biology of his race. She kept doing it and she was glad he lay still, if he had tried to thrust against her she would have had to stop because he was seriously challenging her gag reflex. There wasn't really that much of him she could fit in her mouth but she kept a grip on his shaft and it was enough, she didn't have to wait for that long before he suddenly went rigid, gasped and then he did indeed scream. He was shivering in spasms and she let go and just kept a hand on his shaft, waiting for him to reach full release. He sounded as if he was in agony and she was glad this part of the building only had a few inhabitants in the other end of the complex, they would not hear this even if he sounded like a rutting buck! Verya was right, when he reached the very peak of his pleasure he did pass out, his eyes rolled back and he went completely limp and then she could feel how the muscles in his pelvis really started to contract in powerful spasms that forced a surprising amount of white liquid out of him. It was indeed very sticky so it was no wonder it would have been painful to get out otherwise, it was almost not a liquid at all. He just lay there gasping like a fish on dry land and she giggled a little shocked by her own courage and found a towel and dried the mess off him. It didn't smell that much and she felt a strange sensation of gratitude, she felt glad she had been able to give him this. He had needed it.

He awakened and she saw tears in his eyes, he blinked and tried to gather his senses. "Ravenne, that was…gods, you almost killed me I think!"

She laughed. "I don't think anyone has died from that, I just wanted to see how you would react to it."

He gasped again, blushed and looked a bit embarrassed. "Now you know, with a heck of a lot of yelling. It was wonderful, thank you!"

She smiled and he grasped her hand, kissed it with obvious gratitude. She felt embarrassed too but she knew that she should explain things to him, this was a good moment and she held his hand and sat down on her haunches next to the bed, stared at his face. "I told you there were things I needed to explain to you and I guess I should do it now."

He nodded and so she started to explain about the curse which followed her mother's bloodline and the dualism of it and its good and negative sides. Then she told him of her own curse and what she had thought about it and what she had done to try and come to terms with it. He just listened and his eyes told her that he found the tale tragic. She finished with telling about the night she had spent with Glorfindel but she did not mention that he had hurt her when he awakened from a nightmare and more or less raped her. She just told Narriar that she had been cold even to him and Narriar swallowed hard and his eyes were disappointed. "So you are incapable of feeling pleasure with a male? That is horrible! Your gods are cruel!"

Ravenne squirmed. "Well, I think there is a twist to this tale, when you kissed me, I felt it!"

He gasped. "You did?!"

She nodded. "I suddenly knew what it was that the other ellith are talking about, I think that I may be normal when I am with you but cold to anyone else."

He stared at her with something akin to reverence. "Then we are indeed meant to be together. Can't you see this?"

Ravenne sighed. "I am so unsure, that is the problem. I have no idea of what to believe any more. I was so sure of myself, so sure of my fate but now it is all an open question once more."

He reached out, stroked her hair lovingly. "The old elleth I mentioned, she sometimes speaks with the spirits, maybe they can tell us what this is about? They should be able to offer at least some sort of answer to what's troubling you!"

She sighed. "That would be nice indeed, more than nice."

He cocked his head, grinned. "So there is a chance that you in fact would feel pleasure if we were to make love? Why not test that out?"

Ravenne blushed, turned her gaze away. "No, not now, maybe later. This was enough for now Narriar, I mean it!"

He sighed and sat up, he looked a bit dizzy and almost half drunk. "But I feel bad knowing that I did come and you didn't! It isn't right, the female should always be first."

She giggled. "So the ellyn of your people has to hold back until she has climaxed before he can do the same?"

Narriar nodded and his expression told her that to him this was something nobody even questioned. It was the way it was and always had been. She shook her head and got back on her feet. "Get dressed again Narriar, we need to lay more plans. "

He took a deep breath and smiled but she could see a glimpse of disappointment in his eyes. "As you wish my lady but by the spirits how I would want to feel you underneath me, gasping my name."

The way he said those words sent shivers down her spine and she almost growled. "No more talk of that kind, we have to focus on what's important."

He just sighed and put his underpants back on, nodded. "Yes, let's."

Back in Aman everybody knew that the expedition had left, Thranduil and Oropher had thought that they did make good choices. Those they sent were capable and they had seen fighting before, they would not freeze up in a dangerous situation. There was nothing more the council could do and so it was ended. The Istari would try to protect the greater cities and Valmar by shielding them and making them invisible or rather, making the fact that many lived there invisible. Thranduil cut an ugly grimace when he heard that, but it made sense. A leader in war knows that, you cannot hope to save everybody so try to save as many as possible and the smaller cities were a far less loss than the bigger ones. They had few wizards and they should not spread their powers out too much. Most had left by now and Thranduil and Oropher decided that the best thing they could do was to leave too, this city wasn't big but it could be a target and they would be vulnerable there. It had no defenses and so they decided to ride out towards Tirion and seek out Legolas. If he had left they would meet him and then they would head back home. They were just three and it was not likely that the monsters would go for such a small group. If they encountered monsters then they could let their horses run and seek shelter in the trees. They were more than capable of running through the treetops and Thranduil was aching to get back home. It was up to the expedition now, they were the ones who had to stop this. The doves sent from Greenwood had arrived and everybody knew that the area behind the mountains had been attacked too, an even greater reason to get back home.

They left in the morning and managed to get some provisions and a couple of extra horses too. The roads were deserted, nobody dared to travel now and they could ride hard. They didn't get far before they encountered the first troop of soldiers who had been commanded out to keep an eye on the situation and if possible try to save people and property. They were heavily armed with steel crossbows and they carried some of the flashlights Ravenne had bought. Oropher recognized the captain of the troop, he was an old friend who had fought alongside Gil-Galad during the last alliance and Oropher was stunned to see that the elf was still alive. He had gotten a reputation for being utterly mad during battle and Thranduil could see that the ellon carried the scars to prove it. The captain grinned and saluted the two Sindar elves and Oropher grinned. "Ascarion, my old friend, how good to see you."

Ascarion smiled back, he bowed his head. "Likewise my lord, so, you have attended to the council. Any news?"

Oropher sighed and shook his head. "No, but we didn't expect any either, we came knowing that it would turn into an utter mess and it did. You cannot put that many ancient leaders and kings into one hall and expect them to cooperate. It is impossible. At least they managed to send the expedition over to Earth, they will leave for Lithui soon."

Ascarion nodded. "Let us pray that they manage to stop it at its origin. This is getting worse every night, we just helped out by one of the farms, not a single animal left alive."

Thranduil clenched his teeth together. "They have discovered an easy source of food, but when that runs dry they will go for people once more."

Ascarion shrugged. "You said it, some of the warriors are planning on building a trap. There is a small but very steep canyon further north along the mountains. They plan on filling it with sheep and when the monsters arrive there they will set fire to it. There is plenty of flammable oil there, it could perhaps work."

Thranduil made a grimace. "It is a huge chance to take, but by all means, if it means that some of those monsters die it would be just terrific."

Ascarion tilted his head and gave them a wide grin. "Thought you would say that. I have to go, we have to help out elsewhere but have a safe ride. May the gods keep you away from trouble."

Oropher saluted him. "You too, stay away from the monsters, they are too much to take on even for you."

Ascarion just nodded and roared an order and the troop started marching again. Thranduil wondered how many of those brave young ellyn would survive this. The whole situation filled his heart with dread. The day was cloudy and it was raining and Thranduil stared at the dark clouds with narrow eyes, he feared what the missing sunlight could make it possible for the monsters to attack earlier than usual. The two rode with haste but still the day went too fast and they hadn't reached their goal when darkness fell that evening. It was getting really dark and Thranduil just hoped that Legolas had stayed in Tirion, that city did at least have some advantages and as far as he knew the monsters hadn't attacked the same place twice.

Back at the palace if New Greenwood Nireariel had worked like crazy to get everybody to safety, most of those who lived in the surrounding areas had come to the palace and she had sent some warriors out to escort those who lived at Oropher's home back to the fortress. It was quite a lot of elves and Nireariel was a bit nervous to have her mother in law there. Oropher's wife was a very sweet elleth and she was warm hearted and very kind but she had some rather old fashioned views on how things were to be done. Nireariel had been scared the first time she met Meldariel, she feared that the very dignified elleth would find her faulty in any way but she was positively surprised. Meldariel embraced her whole heartedly and thought the world of her and Nireariel was very relieved that she now had a mother in law who appreciated her and supported her. Meldariel was thrilled to have grandchildren and even more thrilled to have great grandchildren and Nireariel was glad that the elleth had so much energy for she sometimes had to look after Astarion's kids and that was no easy task.

Cunarin was a different case, nobody really wanted to have him there and she just hoped that he wouldn't cause any problems. The palace was filled with people now and some even slept in the bath, on matrasses laid out along the pools. At least they had a warm room. The horses had been let loose and they had kept only a few in case they needed them. Nireariel had been high and low the the entire day and the rain had made her job a little easier. Many had hurried to get in underneath a roof and she knew that those who refused to come to the fortress had the advantage of tall trees. They could hide very well and she didn't think that the monsters would know how to fell trees, neither would they feel the need for it if nobody revealed that they were hiding up there.

The dark evening was slowly turning into night and Nireariel made sure that everybody was on the inside before she ordered that the huge rock doors were to be closed. She felt that thundering sound when they shut in her very bones and a chill ran down her spine. The palace was made to be impregnable but who knew the full extent of these creature's strength? There were guards placed by hidden windows and they kept a keen eye on the forest around the hill. They had also made small traps which would make a lot of noise if someone triggered them.

Astarion and his wife had gathered the children in a room and tried to keep them entertained until they went to sleep and others were cooking or just doing their normal everyday shores but Nireariel felt the tension in the air. They were all afraid and nobody sang or spoke loudly. Nireariel was tired to the bone and she had sat down with some food when she heard the alarm, at first she didn't even understand what that infernal sound was, then she knew and her blood felt like ice in her veins. Raina was sitting by the table too and her huge blue eyes filled with dread. Meldariel came running, her long blond braid had come undone and she was pale. "The guards have spotted motion and it is heading this way, what am I to do?"

Nireariel closed her eyes, took a deep breath. For his sake she had to stay strong, to be a true queen. "Take all the children down to the lower levels, there are some vaults there, they are made to withstand almost anything. Make sure that you have gotten all the children into the vaults, they should be safe there. I will send some warriors down there too."

Meldariel nodded and ran and Raina stared at her mother. "What about me naneth?"

Nireariel smiled at her daughter. "You, stay here. I may need your help, get Astarion too. We have to use our powers if they try to break through the walls."

Raina nodded and went to get her brother and Nireariel made a grimace and turned to the head of the guards, he had been waiting in the room to receive orders and she wanted Raina out of the room before she gave these instructions. "Langorion, send five warriors down to the vaults to guard the children and the youngsters. Give them good weapons, and if the worst possible thing is to happen then tell them to make sure that the monsters don't get any of the children alive. Is that understood?"

Langorion was pale but he nodded, his eyes were dark and she could see that his hands were shaking. "My lady, it is understood."

She smiled at him. "Do not worry, our fortress is strong, as strong as the man who made it, I fear not."

The soldier bowed his head. "Of course not my lady"

Nireariel waited until he left, then she had to press her hands to her mouth not to whimper with fear, she had to be strong now, for them all. She ran to the nearest of the guards and stared out into the darkness, the forest was silent around them, too silent. She closed her eyes, listened deeper, found the voices of the trees and plants and they were filled with disgust and rage and fear. "They are coming, destroyers, violators, abominations, they are here"

Nireariel nodded to the guard. "Order all the openings to be closed and barred. Tell all the warriors to stand by, this is it! Be brave!"

The watch windows were closed with solid rock and they had been made so that it was almost impossible to discover them from the outside. The cracks in the rock looked natural and didn't have any straight lines or any other unnatural shapes. The booming sound of the last windows that were being closed was like the sound of doom and Nireariel closed her eyes and just prayed that her husband was safe wherever he was. Astar had gotten into armor and he was standing in the hall just inside of the entrance with his sword drawn and a dark flame flickering in his gaze. Nireariel knew that he would fight to the very death to defend them all and she was shocked to see that also Cunarin had gotten his armor on and stood ready. He had something very vulnerable in his eyes and Nireariel stared at him with a puzzled expression. "I have done many mistakes in my time my lady, I feel that I need to do something to make up for them. Please, allow me to fight, I won't let you down."

She sighed, she had noticed the very pretty young ellon Cunarin was seen with rather often and she had managed to put two and two together and she had gotten four, not five. She thought she knew what Cunarin's problem was. "Fine, but you are under my father's command, do what he tells you to!"

Cunarin bowed his head and she could see the fear in his eyes. "Yes of course my lady!"

There was a strange silence, and then all hell broke loose, a terrible roaring sound made from many throats could be heard and then the screeching noise of claws attacking solid rock. Nireariel took a step backwards, she mouthed some words and Astar saw what she was saying, he just wished that her husband had been there. If this was the end they should have faced it together. Roars and screams, the banging of primitive weapons against the rock and Nireariel was glad her husband had been so wise. The wall of the palace was straight as a normal wall but it had no seems or cracks and from above five meters it was tilted a bit outwards so it was impossible to climb further up the façade. This was done all the way around the hollow hill that was their palace and stronghold and Thranduil had added some small tricks which made the fortress even harder to conquer. They had some huge cisterns on the top level and they could be emptied through a rather devious system of valves and pipes that made the entire bottom half of the structure one large waterfall. It would wipe the façade clean and if that wasn't enough it was possible to mix burning oil into the water to create an even greater effect. Nireariel hoped that it wouldn't be necessary to use it, but it was made ready and the warriors only waited for her order to unleash it.

Raina and Astarion had joined her and they both were pale but determined too, they wouldn't back down and Nireariel hugged them both. "We all have our strengths and also our not so strong sides. They won't be able to break through the rock as long as we are here fighting them, I will take care of the roses, Raina you deal with the very rock itself and Astarion, the vines and the ivy and the trees. Don't hesitate, don't doubt yourself and first and foremost my children, show no mercy!"

They both nodded and sat down, Nireariel had ordered some chairs to be brought forth and they relaxed and closed their eyes. They all carried the song of creation and they had as she had said inherited different powers drawn from it. Raina had a talent for using rocks and now she started to sing to the very bones of the earth, she told of the might of the one, of the will that controlled the very universe itself and she commanded the rocks of the palace and the surroundings to surrender to her song. Suddenly the entire outer layer of rock became almost liquid, like mud but a mud controlled by a will, a purpose. Spikes of rock shoot out and pierced the monsters which were trying to climb the façade, hands of rock grasped those who came too close and pulled them violently inn, crushed them against the façade. Fists shot out, crushed monsters with mighty smashes and Raina sat there motionless with her face devoid of emotion and her eyes were as black as pitch.

Astarion had another song, his was softer, more gentle but it held the strength of the earth itself, of its ever changing nature and he sang to the trees and the ivy and the thick vines and they came to life in a way that would have caused a botanist back on earth severe nightmares. Suddenly monsters were grasped by trees and vines and ripped apart like rotten cloth. Others were embraced and smothered by the ivy and the plants crept everywhere and snapped up the abominations and picked them into pieces as if they were made from cotton. Nireariel had planted some very beautiful rose bushes along the edge of the façade, they grew in neat rows and the gardeners had turned them into beautiful shapes. These roses had a stunning deep red color which made them very popular and Nireariel was very proud of them but she had fought of more than just their beauty when she chose this particular type. It was infamous for its long thorns and Nireariel surrendered herself to her song, transformed the beautiful roses to a terrible weapon. Like a living wall of barbed wire they suddenly covered the entire façade and the thorns were suddenly several inches long and very strong and the roses whipped out long branches like living whips towards the monsters. All the three were sweating and panting but they continued singing their strangely haunting wordless song. It made the hairs stand up on the neck of everybody who heard it and it echoed through the very structure, made the others there hold their breath and lower their eyes in awe and fear. This was really not something anybody was to hear but the situation called for it.

The entire palace was transformed now, into a fortress that seemed alive like a huge beetle defending itself against an army of tiny ants. The monsters were many and desperate, they had found no more animals in the area and they could not return without the food they were sent out to gather. It was quite literally raining blood as monsters were pulled into the air by trees and vines and pulled apart. The beasts were defending themselves with primitive axes and those terrible swords, they cut vines and branches but it only added to the fury of this nightmarish living forest. Beasts were skewered on pointy branches, vines crushed their heads or hang them. The rock of the cliff and the rocks of the ground itself opened up and swallowed them or just bit into them like huge jaws of living stone. It was carnage and still the monsters kept attacking, they didn't know what fear was, all they could think of was the food hiding on the inside of the thick stone walls. A layer of body parts covered the nice paths and gardens, blood had covered the pools red and nobody would have even recognized the place. It looked like a scene from a very bad splatter movie and it would have made some horror movie directors weep with envy.

The beasts would not quit until the last of them was dead and so the attack continued. The palace was large, and it was attacked from all sides. Protecting the entire structure demanded a lot from the three but they could not fail, they had to prevent the monsters from finding any weak points in the rock. The elves gathered on the inside could hear it, a distant rumble and thunder, screams and roars and above it that eerie wordless chanting. It was a night of destiny and they could not hesitate at all.

Nireariel was close to passing out, it drained her strength like blood pouring from a wound and Astarion and Raina were tired too, they were gasping but kept singing and slowly the attack slowed down. There weren't that many monsters out there anymore and they hesitated a little now that they were fewer. Astarion gasped, his eyes appeared to roll in his head and he let his head fall back, he moaned. He poured one last effort into it, the trees went into a new level of rage, they moved as if a strong hurricane was ripping through the branches and Raina too poured her last strength into it. The palace looked like an overgrown porcupine now, spikes everywhere and Nireariel let the roses reach out and throw the remaining monsters towards them, impaling them on the spikes. Then she was empty, she collapsed and so did the other two. The spikes and the roses were still there, and the trees moved back into their normal shapes but the magic was alive in them now. If the place was attacked once more they wouldn't need that much to be awakened once more. Astar picked up Nireariel and some others came for Raina and Astarion, they were both unconscious and Cunarin was staring at them, he shivered like a leaf in the wind. Astar just sent him a strict glance. "Now you see what it takes to keep that hide of yours safe so be grateful."

Cunarin could only nod vigorously. "Let's hope that they won't make another attempt here."

Astarion sighed. "Yes, but I fear that things will change from now on, the attacks are going to be more aggressive. Cross your fingers and pray that Ravenne and that group manage to find the source and destroy it."

The other healers brought Nireariel and her children to the infirmary to let them rest and on the outside the first light was starting to appear in the east. The palace with its inhabitants had survived but others had not been so lucky. As the elves of New Greenwood calmed down others were mourning their dead and the country woke up to a morning which revealed much bloodshed.

Oropher and Thranduil had been riding along the main road when they suddenly saw a small troop of riders approaching them, they instantly recognized the rider in front and Thranduil sighed. So Legolas had not been able to wait for them, he had left the safety of Tirion and ridden out to meet them. Legolas stopped his black stallion and let out a sigh of relief, he looked well but he had a haunted expression within his eyes and Thranduil knew that his son had witnessed something he never would be able to forget. He sighed, so had they all. "I wish you could have waited for us in Tirion."

Legolas shook his head rather violently. "I could not just sit there and be safe while you could be in danger."

Oropher smiled. "Well, I am glad you are here lad, one more swordarm to defend us."

Legolas smiled and nodded towards the four warriors who was his escort. "I got these soldiers, they are good fighters and they have experience. If we ride hard we can get back to Tirion in a couple of hours."

Thranduil took a look around, the darkness felt like something solid and he was nervous, it was as if eyes were staring at him from all around. He sent his son a quick smile. "Then lets ride, and don't stop for anything!"

The ellyn turned their horses and spurred them and the horses broke into gallop and thundered down the road like they were at a racetrack. It felt a little safer to be many and they had fast animals. As they started to ride towards the pass they could see the landscape among the foothills of the mountains, they rode along a long narrow hill which rose towards the bottom of the pass and they had quite a view. What they saw was ghoulish, they could see that several places were burning and from afar they heard the sounds of screams and roars and the clatter of weapons. Thranduil groaned and Oropher leaned over and grasped his arm. "We cannot help them, forget it son. We have to make it to Tirion and tomorrow we ride back home. Let us pray for those we love and try to stay alive, for their sake."

Thranduil nodded, he spurred his horse again with a curse and the rest of them followed him. They reached the pass, it was a very narrow valley and Legolas knew the road well now, he was leading them and they saw the walls of the city up ahead. They had lit some huge fires and they threw a strange and unnatural shine on the cliffs. It looked as if demons were dancing but Thranduil knew it was just shadows, still it did nothing to calm him down. They rode through the gates with haste and stopped in the great square. Legolas jumped down from his horse and Vegylion came running, he bowed for the two others and Oropher recognized him and greeted him with a warm smile. Legolas could see that the ellon had news and Vegylion bit his lips together. "My lord, a runner arrived from one of the villages up the valley, just half an hour ago. It has been destroyed, at least fifty are dead."

Legolas moaned. "Then all the villages further up the pass are attacked too, I am rather sure of it. I fear that this indeed will be the end."

Oropher didn't say anything but Thranduil remembered his words, Ardon Meth, the end of the world. It was a possibility and he felt how his heart felt cold in his chest. He would never let this darkness engulf his family but how was he to save them. This new enemy was spreading like a plague, like locust and he had never fought anything like it before. Nobody had fought anything like this. He sighed and followed Legolas into the mayors home. They would rest there until the morning and then they would start the final part of the journey and he knew that it would be the most dangerous part. He sat down in a chair and knew that he would get very little sleep until he had Nireariel in his arms once more.

Ravenne and Narriar had spent the day going through the maps earlier expeditions to Lithui had made and Narriar was a bit disappointed by them. Few were correct and some were so wrong he suspected that the one making them hadn't been there at all. He pointed at a large lake which was placed a bit north of his tribe's territory. "That isn't there, it is to the east, behind those mountains which by the way is way too small. The lake is twice as long as on the drawing but only half as wide, and it swells to twice its size during the rainy season."

Ravenne growled to herself and wrote it all down, before long they had a long list of mistakes made by the earlier explorers and she knew that it would get even longer as they started to learn more of this world. Narriar was almost laughing by some of the things Ravenne read for him, he was chuckling still when she got out of the couch to make some dinner. She chose some chicken and fried potatoes and he liked it a lot. He compared it with some birds they had in Lithui, it was among the favorite prey of his tribe because they couldn't fly and were extremely stupid. Ravenne suspected that it was some sort of penguin or perhaps a dodo?

They finished with chocolate cookies for dessert and he thought that those were a bit too sweet for his taste. Then Verya called Ravenne on her cell phone and Ravenne had to explain everything about the meeting and what they had discussed. Verya had been told by some others that the group would be given some rather hefty weapons and Ravenne made a grimace. It would come in handy she was sure but it made her skin crawl. They spent the rest of the afternoon watching some old movie on the TV, Ravenne wasn't really paying attention to it, she had too much on her mind but Narriar was completely captivated and she had to laugh at his wide eyes and obvious fascination. She had told him a little about her favorite movies and he had told her that his tribe often entertained themselves with playing a sort of hide and seek, and a game which involved the bladder of some huge animal filled with air and long sticks. The clue was to keep it airborn and at the same time make the other team drop it to the ground.

They finished the evening with some fruit and wine and Ravenne knew that she would spend the next night in a whole different place. It wasn't at all a pleasant thought now that it was getting so close, so real. She bid Narriar a good night and then she went to bed with a strange nervous twitch around her mouth and eyes. It was as if she heard her mother singing from afar, that strange song that was her gift and also a part of her curse. To Nireariel it was easy, her curse something she could cope with. Ravenne wasn't sure what her powers were any longer, she could kill but then what? She just had to wait and see if the truth would reveal itself one day.

She slept well that night and it was almost a miracle but she had drunk more wine than she usually would and her emotional stress had perhaps taken a bigger toll of her than she had been aware of. Narriar wasn't up yet when she got out of bed, she felt like crap and went straight to the shower, turned it on and she usually showered it rather warm water. It was something she had gotten used to back home and it usually made her relax. She did find little peace this time, she just stood there, staring into nothing while the hot water turned the whole bath into a steam bath.

She suddenly felt a cold draft and spun around, she was shocked to see that Narriar was standing in the door, he was just wearing a towel around his waist and there was something strange within his gaze. Ravenne just stared at him, wide eyed and in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Her voice was trembling and she already knew what he was doing, she could see it within his eyes. They were burning and she took a deep breath, pushed herself against the glass of the shower cabinet. He was through the door and in the shower with her within the blink of an eye, he cupped her chin with his hand and kissed her and this was no feather light kiss. It was deep and hungry and demanding and Ravenne found herself utterly helpless. She could not resist, it felt as if her legs had turned to jelly. She kissed him back, almost desperately and he dropped the towel and she let her hands roam over the hard muscles of his chest and stomach. His hands were doing the same with her, kneading her breasts and ass and she felt how her breath hitched, the warm water poured down over them like hot rain and her skin felt as if it was on fire. He was kissing her, sliding his lips along her neck, licking her ears and her heart felt like a thundering herd of horses in her chest, it was beating like crazy. It felt electric, like madness and she yearned for more of it.

She grasped his chin, kissed him again and he thrust his tongue into her mouth, coaxed her own to play with it, the feeling of slick wetness sliding in and out made her legs give in for a second and he grinned and put his hand on her hip, supported her. Ravenne was stunned, she had never imagined that it felt like this, a desperate hunger for something she yet had to discover. Narriar moaned and pressed himself against her, she felt his erection towards her belly and she whimpered. His hand slid down between her legs and she threw her head back and gasped as he started to caress her, very gently and with obvious care. Every nerve in her body was alight, her heartbeat could be felt everywhere and in special down there. It was such a sweet madness and she understood why people craved this, it felt like heaven and hell mixed into one. Narriar continued until her breath became ragged gasps and she was pushing her hips against his, it was a reflex she could not control.

He grasped her by her hips, lifted her and she threw her legs around his hips, he kissed her almost desperately and she reached down, grasped him and showed him the way. She had no doubt, no fear. All she wanted was this, to consummate their union. He let out a strange hoarse sound and Ravenne had to close her eyes and moan his name. He let himself slide into her very slowly and gently and it felt like nothing she ever had experienced in her life. She was no virgin but damn, he made her feel as though she was. She was seeing sparks and it ached but it was so right, she had never felt this complete before. Narriar gasped her name and kissed her and then he bent his neck and kissed her nipples, sucked at them and something just exploded in her, she started moving against him, yelling his name and he placed his hands underneath her, pressing her against the wall while he thrust into her in a steady but eager rhythm.

Ravenne was close to tears, it felt like waves of pure bliss rushing through her and they reached higher and higher, she was writhing, gasping, clawing at his back and he grunted and panted and kissed her skin, nipped at it and he even bit her but the pain only added to her desperate need and pleasure. Narriar was staring at her, meeting her eyes with his. His gaze was black and glazed and she had never seen anything that arousing, he gasped her name. "Come, come for me Rav, please!"

He changed the angle of his hips just a little and the waves reached the shore, came crashing down. Ravenne could just surrender, could just scream like crazy while the most insane sensation she ever had had rushed through her, ever nerve was on fire, every muscle contracted in spasms of pure delight and she shuddered, pressed him towards her. He caught her eyes again, they stared into each-others souls, and the connection was completed. They were one, bonded for eternity and there was no way back, no reason for doubt or regret. It was, as it should be, as it always had been, as fate had decided before they both were even conceived. Souls brought to life only to meet and complete each other.

Ravenne let out one last piercing cry as the pleasure just became too much for her to contain, she felt how her own muscles caressed the warm hardness buried deep within her and Narriar was panting and grunting. He kicked the door open, lifted her with him out of the shower and before she really realized what he was doing she laid on the floor with him on top of her. He continued to thrust, didn't even miss a single beat and she knew why he had gotten them down on the floor. He was close to coming and didn't want to pass out standing up. Ravenne could just cling on to him and she felt how her own body still shivered with pleasure, Narriar was letting out low growling noises now, he was lifting himself up and she wrapped her legs around him once more, he stared down at her and she could see how his face contorted as he was getting closer. "Oh Rav, Oh gods!"

She pushed against him, eager to help him reach completion and he suddenly lost all rhythm, his movements became irregular and he closed his eyes almost reluctantly. Then he pushed himself so deep into her it almost hurt and roared, shaking all over in the grip of an almost violent orgasm. Ravenne moaned his name, pulled him down to her, embraced him while he screamed her name again and again. He suddenly became completely limp once more and she could feel it deep within her, how he pulsed and filled her with hot seed. It made her shudder too, press him towards her by sheer instinct. She felt tears running down her cheeks, it was heaven, it was too overwhelming to even describe. Narriar moaned and awakened, he too was crying and he kissed her softly. "Thank you, I have never ever felt like this, it was…I have no words"

She swallowed hard, stared at his soft eyes and knew exactly what he meant. "Likewise, I didn't know it could feel this…strong!"

He grinned and closed his eyes, rested his forehead against her shoulder, breathed out. "Now you know my love"

She embraced him and he fell silent, nuzzled her neck and caressed her and she grinned, it was really true that his race became very affectionate after love making. She knew that it was normal for other males to just fall asleep like you blew out a candle but it didn't happen to him. He was wide awake, just in a mood for cuddling. He let himself slide down next to her, embracing her tightly and she stared at the ceiling. It was no doubt that she was normal when she was with him, heck, it had been the most wonderful feeling she ever had had and the bare thought of feeling him inside of her again made her heart speed up once more. Narriar sighed and kissed her shoulder, his eyes were filled with love and tenderness and she knew she was one incredibly lucky elleth. He let a hand glide through her hair, they were both soaking wet and she giggled and sighed with bliss. "The only question now is how I am going to explain this to the ellith of my tribe, I will never touch another female, you are my one and only from now and until the end of days."

She smiled and kissed him slowly. "As you are my one and only too."

He nodded and pressed his face towards her neck, he sighed and she could feel that he for a second became a bit tense. "What is it?"

He bit his lower lip, stared at her with something pleading in his eyes. "Do you…do you think that it is possible…for us to have children together?!"

Ravenne hadn't even thought of that possibility, but she had no idea of whether or not her race and the Ce'agar were compatible when it came to conception. She swallowed hard, did she want children at all? She had no idea but she wanted to make him happy and if children of his own was a part of that then she would give him all the children she possibly could. "I do not know, but if it happens it happens and we'll deal with it then."

He just sighed and nodded and pulled her closer to him. They fell silent for a while, just resting and enjoying the pleasure of being together. Ravenne turned around and they lay there spooning, she felt him breathe and suddenly she felt that he pulled her hair aside and started licking the back of her neck, it felt like an electric jolt and she gasped for air, suddenly her body was on fire once more and she could hear him chuckle. "Thought that would turn you on!"

She could only nod and she felt that he was hard once more. "Oh Valar, please!"

He kissed the tip of her ear and grasped her hip, pulled her closer to him. She reacted by pure instinct, angled her hips backwards and he slid into her once more, she had to grasp onto the shower door and close her eyes. She of course knew that it was possible to do it like this, from behind, but she had not imagined that it made her feel his every move even better than before and before long she was screaming again, thrashing against him as the waves of intense pleasure rushed through her again. She had to think about a line of a song she had heard, knocking on heaven's door. It felt as though she really was close to paradise but this was more like fucking on the bathroom floor if she was to be utterly honest. Before long they both were screaming and Ravenne had forgotten everything about being worried for their mission. They were together and she was not alone any more, from now on nothing would matter more than what they shared and she was ready to face any enemy, to make sure that he was safe she would fight the very devil himself if need be.


	10. children of the forest

**Chapter Ten: Children of the forest**

In a time of darkness

In a time of death

Do not lose sight of hope and joy

Though fragile and dying

It is still there

Ravenne and Narriar suddenly was in a hurry to get ready, they got dressed and ate and both had a strange sensation of disbelief and awe. It was hard for them to keep their hands to themselves and Ravenne was unable to really think about anything else than the things that had happened to her. They didn't need to pack much and so they were ready rather fast but their minds were not into it at all. Ravenne stared at her apartment, she wondered if she ever would see it again, somehow she doubted it. She hoped that Verya would take care of it while she was away, there was still much food left in the fridge and she didn't like the idea of anything going to waste. She saw that Narriar was a bit restless, he wanted to go home, to see if his people were safe and unharmed and he missed them but he was also worried about their mission. He had no idea if they were heading into something that was more or less a suicide.

Verya showed up half an hour before Ravenne and Narriar was to be picked up, she appeared to be a bit nervous but she hadn't even passed the doorstep before she instantly understood that something had happened between Ravenne and Narriar. She stared at them both with slack jawed amazement. "Ravenne? Don't tell me that you have? Oh Valar, you have!"

Ravenne just swallowed hard and Narriar was staring into a wall as if it held the answers to the great questions of life. Verya held her hand in front of her mouth, stared at Ravenne's neck. "Rav, for goodness sake! Hide that bite mark you have beneath your ear, or else there will be a lot of very serious and embarrassing questions, believe me!"

Ravenne twitched and turned around, found herself a shiny surface and looked at her own reflection. Yes, she did have a mark there and it was very visible. She swore and rushed back into her room, found a shirt with a high collar and she even put some make up on it. She saw the smirk on Verya's face when she returned and Narriar was pretending to be completely innocent, to little prevail. Ravenne sighed and handed Verya the keys to the place. "I don't want to find a mess when I return."

Verya nodded. "Don't worry, I will keep it tidy. Just…just return alive ok?"

Ravenne tried to smile but it became an awkward grimace. "I will at least try!"

Verya shrugged and then she hugged Ravenne rather hard. "It is an order damn it, don't do anything stupid. I wish I could follow you but I have to stay here."

Verya turned to Narriar, he appeared to be a bit nervous. "You, you take care of her right? Watch her back you big oaf, hear me? She is a very nice elleth and I would hate it if anything happened to her!"

Narriar just bowed his head. "My life is hers, I will watch over her to my last breath."

Verya just blushed. "That serious ha? Good to know, I bet you have gotten yourself one hell of a protector now my friend."

Ravenne sent Narriar a glance filled with love and smiled. "Yes I guess I have!"

They had sent a car for them and this time Narriar didn't mind being blindfolded but he was still shivering during the drive and Ravenne held his hand tightly. They drove to an abandoned ware house, it was apparently ready to crumble under its own weight but it was all a disguise. Ravenne took a deep breath and she tried to calm herself down. They entered and she could see that they all were assembled. The rest of the group had put on some strange suits that looked almost like the armors of old, she had seen the same design in the museums and she liked the fact that they had been made thinking of their long cultural history. These were not made from metal though, at least not normal metal. They were made from Kevlar, carbon fibers and a strange alloy which allowed the material to change its properties within the blink of an eye. It could go from being soft as satin to be steel hard in just a fraction of a second and it could also change color and appearance to work as camouflage. It was high tech made to look like the armor of old and Ravenne liked it a lot. Right now the suits were black and it made them all look rather scary. They stared at Narriar and he bowed his head. "You are ready?"

Elrohir nodded and Glorfindel grinned, he looked nervous. "As we ever will be."

Ravenne got a suit and some underwear and she went into a small room to get changed. She braided her hair tightly and stared at her own reflection in a broken window. She suddenly looked dangerous, menacing even. She returned to the group, they had two large wheeled trolleys with equipment and on one of them she could see a body bag. They were bringing Hithiar's body back so that he could be buried by his own. It was a very nice thought and she sighed and saw that Narriar had gotten his boots back and he had also gotten a new loincloth. Erestor had given him a couple of swords he now carried across his back and he appeared to be thrilled by the gift. They were also very beautiful and special and Ravenne knew that this expedition would rely on both the newest technology and the weapons of old. Magon and Gwan stood by the biggest trolley and it looked as if they had brought enough weapons and explosives and other equipment to start a third world war. It wasn't a very comforting thought that they'd might need it. Vayana stood there and looked uncomfortable, she was pulling at the collar of her suit making grimaces and Ravenne hadn't yet decided if she liked the elleth or not.

A wizard had come to send them to Lithui and he appeared to be rather young, Ravenne hadn't met him and he bowed to her and smiled. "My name is Dhiarban, I am an apprentice of Olorin or Mithrandir as you know him."

Ravenne was impressed, then he probably knew what he was doing.

The wizard smiled and blinked at Ravenne."Your father and daeradar had an small revelation, they thought that the attacks came from one place in Lithui due to the different rotation of the worlds and we have discovered that they were right. The leaders have worked with the problem for days, it is somewhere up north but we are not yet sure of exactly where and the pattern has been broken after the attack on Tirion. Now they happen all over the place but we guess that this requires more of the one who sends the monsters through, it has to be harder to do so whoever it is they are getting more desperate and in greater need for food. You have to act fast."

Glorfindel grasped a sword from the trolley and came over to Ravenne with it. "Here, take this, it is for you. I remember how you fight and I think this will be perfect for your style."

Ravenne took the sword and pulled it out of its sheath, she was stunned. This was so sharp it would have split a falling hair and it didn't look like any blade she ever had owned. It was very narrow and rather long and it had an almost undetectable s curve. It looked dangerous, like a sleeping predator just resting before its next kill. Glorfindel smiled. "It reminds me of you Ravenne, the same elegance and the same hidden bite"

She realized that this was a very ancient blade, there were runes written on both sides of the blade and she had no idea of what they said. This sword was precious, probably priceless and she could not really wrap her head around the fact that it was for her. "Glorfindel, this is an ancient sword, valuable! Why don't you keep it for yourself?"

He shook his head. "I know it will serve you well, and I do already have two good swords. They have seen battle before and I trust them. I think this one will be perfect for you."

She let her hand slide along the blade, it was so elegant and she felt a strange thrill, she had never owned anything like this before. "What does the runes say?"

Glorfindel shrugged. "I am not sure, but I think the text is something like ;draw me not without cause for my thirst is great."

Ravenne swallowed. "That isn't the name of this thing?"

Glorfindel shook his head. "No, the name is as far as I know Deathseeker. I think it was forged for the war of wrath but I do not know if it was used."

Ravenne bit her lower lip, this was a dark blade, she could feel it. It had been used, she was dead sure of it. It had tasted blood and it was craving for more. Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing after all, she could use that.

Luin entered, he looked nervous and she could see that Haldir was rolling his eyes, he looked comfortable in his suit and perhaps he was the only one of them who appeared to be looking forward to this. Luin smiled and clapped his hands. "I really admire your courage my friends, I wish you the best of luck."

Glorfindel went over and took Luin's hand, shook it. The colony leader went a bit pale, Ravenne had to hide a smirk. She knew that Glorfindel had a grip like a vice and he was using it for all it was worth now. "Thank you, too bad duty ties you up here on earth, I am sure you would have made a fine contribution to our expedition!"

Luin swallowed and looked rather nervous and Gwan whispered to Ravenne."The only use we would have for that guy would be as bait!"

She had problems containing her laughter. Dhiarban smiled but his eyes were serious. "Come now, gather around me, I have to do this soon while the stars are in the right places."

Luin almost sprinted out again and Narriar smiled to Ravenne, his eyes were shining and she knew that he was eager to get back home. The wizard nodded. "Ready?"

Haldir smiled and petted his bow, he had a quiver filled with arrows and two swords and she could see several other blades on him too. He looked like a walking arsenal. "Let's go!"

Glorfindel grinned and Narriar stared at the wizard. "Exactly where will we end up?"

Dhiarban took a deep breath. "I will if the fates allow it send you to a glen just outside of your tribes camp area, there is a huge rock in the middle of it."

Narriar grinned. "Yes, I know that place. It is just a couple of minutes away from the main camp. Perfect."

The wizard smiled and raised his staff. "And now everybody, close your eyes, and do not open them again until you feel stabile."

Ravenne made a grimace and Narriar came over, grasped her hand and held it tightly. "It is alright meleth, relax."

She closed her eyes and Dhiarban started to chant something that sounded rather ancient. There was a sudden gush of ice cold air and she shivered and felt as if everything was shaking and turning itself upside down. She held on to Narriar's hand and felt nauseous and dizzy. She could hear Vayana moan and someone who had to be Erestor was gulping rather loudly. Then there was a sudden jolt and she almost lost her balance, the air around her was cool and filled with strange scents and she could hear that Narriar took a deep and relieved breath, he was home. "You can open your eyes now."

She did and blinked a few times. She now knew why this world was knows as the land of shadows. Above her was a sky unlike anything she had ever seen, she just gaped and stared at a sight so beautiful and strange she barely was able to understand what she was seeing. There was no moon up there, no sun. Instead a huge nebula shone right above them and spread a soft eerie light over a landscape that appeared to almost glow in the faint colors of the starlight. There were stars spread across the skies and they were shining like a million small suns. She was stunned to see that the plants and landscape itself had completely different colors than what she was used too. The trees weren't green, they looked almost black and they had silvery leaves which were dark on one side and shiny on the other. It appeared that this was the case with most plants there. She could see hills and mountains and they looked so wild, so new. This was a rather young world and she could feel its energy, it was young and reckless and wild, untamed. Here anything could happen and it would too.

Narriar was grinning, he stared at the stars and she could see that his eyes were glowing now. The deep dark shadows and the weird dusk like light was natural for him, he could see just as well as they would back home and she swallowed and knew that she was in a different world now, with different rules. He waved his hands. "Come on, it is just down this hill, a few minutes to walk. I will go enter the camp first and then I will call for you to follow, I do not want to startle anyone."

The others just nodded and started walking, pulling the trolleys behind them.

It went downhill and after just a little Ravenne could hear voices and smell smoke, Narriar turned around and caught her gaze. "Wait here, I will call for you"

They nodded and he disappeared into the deep shadows underneath the trees. Ravenne felt the trees here just like she would back home but these were different, not as placid and slow thinking as the trees she was used to. These trees seemed to be more awake in lack of better words. She just hoped that this would end well, she would hate it if this world also suffered from the things these monsters did.

Narriar almost ran through the familiar forest and he reached the rim of it and slowed down, walked out into the open. Everything appeared to be normal, his tribe was busy doing whatever they usually did and he took a deep sigh of relief. If anything was wrong he would have noticed it right away. He let out a loud shout to tell everybody that he was there and heads turned and many looked a bit confused. He hadn't been expected to return for yet a couple of days and where was Hithiar? And he wore different clothes than before? Narriar stopped in the middle of the circle of huts, he took deep breath as the adults started to gather around him. Eyes stared at him and his warriors did notice the scars on his belly and the darkness in his eyes and some moaned. A couple of females let out loud piercing cries, he had to bow his head helplessly. One of the other ellyn walked up to him, placed his hand on his shoulder and pressed his forehead against Narriar's in a gesture which expressed compassion and respect. "My chief, what happened?"

Narriar lifted a hand, everybody fell silent. "My ashim and me were attacked by terrible monsters, something which we have never seen before. A most horrible new danger has awakened and we did not stand a chance. I was close to dying but the monsters went to earth to search for people to eat and the magic they used brought us with them. Elves there saved me and they are trying to find the enemy and destroy it in its lair."

The warriors looked worried. "We have heard nothing of such but the forests have been strange these last days, there are dark voices whispering, and the animals are nervous."

Narriar sighed and nodded. "It will come for us too, sooner or later. And then we will all die if we cannot stop it. I have been chosen to lead a group of elves from Aman, they will try to find the source of this and destroy it."

Some warriors grinned, their smiles crooked. "Aman elves? Are they at all able to fight?"

Narriar smiled again. "These are, believe me. "

He turned around and shouted and Ravenne and the others appeared from the forest. The tribe stared at them with wide eyes and Ravenne suddenly felt like some weird animal in a zoo. Many stared at her white hair with disbelief and she suddenly realized that there weren't any blondes there. They were all dark, and they all had green eyes. Narriar's were a bit lighter in color than those of the others but otherwise from that many had black hair and their skin was dark too. Ravenne had to grin to herself, these were indeed moriquendi. She tried to look as friendly as she could and she tried not to stare in return. The males only wore loincloths and high boots, the females were mostly barefoot and they wore some simple dresses embroidered in discrete but elegant patterns. They had their hair braided in patterns it had to take hours to create and they looked beautiful and strong. There were children running around everywhere and Ravenne had to smile to them, they were all adorable and looked very happy and carefree. The warriors looked impressive, she noticed that Narriar was the tallest there by perhaps an inch but very few of them were less than two meters tall. She saw that many of the ellyn had that long thin braid and she turned around and saw that the huts were almost invisible. They looked like small mounds of soil covered with grass. There were some fire pits and poles had been erected to dry hides on, other than that there were few signs that showed that someone actually lived there. It looked very tidy and she was a bit impressed.

Narriar continued to explain what had happened in his own language and Ravenne could see that many were crying now, she understood that the loss of Hithiar was deeply mourned. She saw that two ellith stood by themselves sobbing and they both had a child by their side. It was no doubt that these were Hithiar's offspring cause they both looked a lot like him and Ravenne had to swallow hard when she saw the expression in their eyes. They knew that their father was gone, no doubt about it. Narriar had tears in his eyes, he was talking very slowly and Ravenne tried to listen but she did not understand a single syllable. The language was just as melodic and beautiful as other elven languages but the words completely alien to her. Just a few could perhaps be understood and she was glad he spoke sindarin fluently.

Narriar went over to the trolley with Hithiar's body, Gwan and Magon lifted the bag down with obvious reverence and with a lot of respect. He said something and some of the females and a couple of males came and carried the body off. He turned toward the expedition. "We will mourn him tonight, there are ceremonies that has to be followed. Tonight there will be sorrow as well as joy."

Ravenne just nodded and Narriar grasped her by the hand and suddenly she was pulled with him into the middle of the crowd. She gulped and tried to look calm but it was hard. She noticed that she in fact was taller than most of the females there and they stared at her with something akin to awe. It had to be her eyes, and her colors. Narriar said something and many gasped and stared at her with wide eyes, some of the females looked a bit shocked but also filled with respect and some even dared to come close and touch her hair. Ravenne stared at Narriar. "What did you say?"

He smiled at her. "That from now on I am only yours, that you are a warrior and very strong and that I am deeply honored to be yours."

She had to grin. "Very well, then the ellith won't try to seduce you anymore?"

He nodded. "Pretty much yes."

She had to grin. "Great, no competition!"

He kissed her forehead lovingly and she saw that many found that surprising. "Nobody can compete with you. That is a fact!"

Glorfindel sighed, he looked a bit nervous. "So, now what?"

Narriar was thinking fast. "Put up your tents over by that huge tree, it is the best place here. I will send out runners to the other clan's when we have finished the ceremony. We cannot send anyone before it is over with, everybody should be allowed to be here and mourn Hitiar and show him their last respects."

Haldir looked even more impatient than Glorfindel but he nodded. "That is good, I understand the value of that but afterwards?"

Narriar sighed. "Then they will go and gather information and I will seek out the old elleth and see if she has some information we can use. Then we coordinate what we find out and then we head up north. It was there I and Hithiar encountered those monsters so I would guess that that's where we will find them if those wizards are right."

Glorfindel nodded and went over to Elrohir and Erestor who were staring at some maps, they took out the tents and put them up in a small circle, they were small and dark and hard to see. The children were gathering around the strangers with wide eyes and it was obvious that these kids never had faced anything except unconditional love and support for they showed absolutely no fear and Ravenne almost envied them this state of pure innocence. Vayana was all smiles and she even played a little with the kids who took an instant liking to her. Ravenne immediately found that she after all liked the elleth.

Narriar spoke with some of the members of the tribe, he was obviously giving orders and Ravenne could see that the females were running around preparing something. They carried bowls of food and cloth and some were gathering firewood. They built some sort of platform and Ravenne realized that these people did burn their dead. She stared up, the stars hadn't moved a lot, how did these people count time, was there at all a night and a daytime?

Elrohir came over and he too stared up. "I have been here a few times and I never stop to be amazed by that sight. It is amazing. Astronomers on earth would sell their souls for a view like that!"

Ravenne nodded. "Without a doubt, it is so pretty. "

He sighed. "It makes you feel darn small doesn't it? Almost like a grain of sand."

Ravenne turned her head and stared at him, she had huge problems separating between the two twins and she was glad only Elrohir was there with them. He was the most serious of the two and he was very intelligent although a bit introverted. "It makes me wonder how many worlds there really are out there."

He grinned. "Don't even go there Ravenne, the very thought can drive anyone insane. Just accept that there probably are many."

She had to laugh. "Right, will do!"

The expedition repacked their equipment and Gwan and Magon checked the weapons. Ravenne saw that they had brought some rather hefty stuff and knew that they were trained to use them too. These two ellyn would provide the firepower and she knew that the expedition had at least a small chance. She bit her teeth together and hoped that she wouldn't be the weakest link. The platform was built and she saw that they had placed things within it and not just wood. It probably was Hitiar's personal belongings and some also placed other things on it, probably gifts for the afterlife. Narriar came over and kissed Ravenne rather openly. "I have to go an prepare, it will start soon."

She nodded and he left, followed some of the other ellyn into a hut which was placed on the outside of the circle. Vayana came over and stared at Ravenne with a bit of shock in her eyes. "Tell me, are you two a couple?"

Ravenne could just nod. "Yes, we are bonded, hard to explain but I guess we have been born for each other."

Vayana made a strange grimace. "Damn, that is unusual. I have heard of such cases though. I just hope for your sake that this doesn't end in disaster."

Ravenne had to grin. "It won't, we will make it I am sure."

Vayana sighed. "I wish I had your confidence Ravenne, this is scaring the living daylights out of me!"

Ravenne just nodded and Vayana grinned as a couple of adorable children grabbed onto her hands and dragged her off, probably to show her something.

Ravenne stared up, a very huge star had appeared and it had to be what marked the daytime in this place, its faint light did in fact create shadows and it was very beautiful to behold. She saw that some ellyn came carrying Hithiar's body on a stretcher. They were crying and they did nothing to hide that fact. Ravenne realized that this people never concealed how they felt, to them that would be dishonest. Someone had done a marvelous job with Hithiar's body, the wounds had been stitched up and covered and the sight was not as gruesome as it could have been, still it made her cringe. They had washed and braided his hair and covered the body with symbols that had been painted onto him. Many walked by and touched the body and said something that had to be prayers. The two children were brought forth too and they were bawling. Ravenne thought that it was a bit cruel but then again, in this world death was a common guest. They had to get used to it and perhaps seeing that their father indeed was gone was the best way for them to cope with it. Narriar and the other ellyn returned, they had added paint to their tattoos and the result looked a bit strange but there was an alien beauty in the bizarre patterns.

Narriar was crying and Ravenne and the others from Aman took some steps back, gathered in a small group. They could just observe now, not interfere. The entire tribe was gathering, they started to chant something very melodic and sad and Narriar and the other warriors started to walk around the platform very slowly. For each round they placed a piece of wood into the structure and Narriar shouted something very loud and almost commanding for each round. Elrohir whispered to Ravenne. "He is calling out for the spirits of those passed, he is asking them to come and welcome their brother, accept him among them."

Ravenne nodded and felt how her own eyes were stinging with tears. Narriar's voice was trembling, thick with emotion and the females were giving out loud shrill sounds while the males shouted something in a heavy almost hypnotic rhythm. It was a scene that was both beautiful and frightening in a way. It had a sort of primitive energy to it, something untamed and ancient and strangely pure. The warriors circled the platform until it was completely filled with wood. Then a female came forth carrying a huge jug and she poured the contents out over the wood. It had to be something flammable, and the crowd stepped back. Someone handed Narriar a torch and he grasped it with trembling hands. He gasped and Ravenne wanted to go to him, hold him and comfort him but she did not dare to interfere with the ceremony. He bent down, kissed Hithiar's forehead in a very loving manner and he then cut a lock of his own hair and placed it in his ashim's cold hands. The other warriors did the same, cut off some hair and came forth one by one and laid it in Hithiar's hands.

Ravenne thought it was almost beautiful, so heartbreakingly sad and yet it felt right. These people did really live out their emotions every second of their lives. Narriar started to shout again, it was almost a sort of song and Elrohir whispered again. "He is telling the spirits of how brave his ashim was, how he lived and what deeds he did."

Narriar stopped and just stood there for a few seconds, head bowed. The others were silent too and then he put the torch into the wood. There was a whoosh and the entire pyre was ablaze, everybody backed away and started chanting again, Ravenne saw a lot of tears and now they all started moving around the pyre. They were almost dancing and she saw that they all appeared to be almost in a sort of trance. "They are dancing his soul home"

Elrohir appeared to be very moved and she saw that Erestor was staring with his mouth half open, he looked very fascinated. The dance became wilder, faster, they were spinning around and hair and cloth were flowing through the air as they touched hands and reached towards the skies. The song and the sound of the dancing feet was making Ravenne almost dizzy, she wanted to join in but did not know if she should. The children were dancing too and she saw that Narriar lifted a couple of little girls up and danced with them clinging on to his waist. He grinned at them and they squealed and laughed and did probably not understand the situation. They could not be more than a handful of years old and he appeared to love children, they all did. Ravenne had to smile while looking at them, he spun around just to make the girls laugh and there was both joy and sorrow in his eyes.

The tribe continued to dance for a while, until the pyre burned down. Only ashes were left and not even bone was to be found. An elleth gathered the ashes into a basket made from woven twigs and carried it off, Ravenne stared at her as she disappeared among the trees. Elrohir sighed. "She is the one responsible for this part of the burial, she is old and wise. She will spread the ashes out into the woods so that it can become one with it once more. They come from the forest and to the forest they will return."

Ravenne sighed. "A beautiful thought"

The tribe gathered once more and Narriar wiped off his face, he tried to smile. "The sorrow is dealt with, now over to something far more enjoyable."

Ravenne looked puzzled. "What?"

He smiled. "An initiation, it would have happened today even if we hadn't come here now. It is a reason to celebrate."

Ravenne frowned. "I do not understand?"

Narriar smiled, they walked towards one of the huts, it had been decorated with some beautiful but strange pale flowers. "A female has reached maturity and is ready to start her life as an adult. She has chosen a male she likes and they will make love, there is a good chance that she will conceive too. Most do that when initiated. It is the one time in her life when she is almost guaranteed to become with child."

Ravenne just shook her head in disbelief. "Ah, that sounds a bit…weird!"

Narriar just shrugged. "It is the way, it has always been done thus. Being chosen by that female is considered a great honor and responsibility."

She stared at him, bit her lower lip. "Have you ever been chosen?"

He grinned and nodded but there was sadness in his eyes. "Twice, my second and third child."

She swallowed, caressed his hand. "I am sorry!"

He just gave her a sad smile. "It is the past now, I still miss them but I know they are safe among the spirits of our beloved ones."

She couldn't answer to that and just squeezed his hand. She did see that the crowd was awaiting something. Three ellith came out of the forest, two appeared to be older experienced ones but the one in the middle looked young and a bit nervous. She was clad in a white dress without any markings on it and she was blushing slightly. The three of them stopped in front of the hut and they whispered to each other. The young one nodded and called out a name and one of the males stepped forward. He was blushing too, but he looked very proud although very nervous. Narriar grinned. "Poor bastard, he'd better perform well or he'll be the laughing stock of the entire tribe for the next year."

Ravenne had to giggle. "So the girl choses the male she wants to be with?"

Narriar nodded. "Yes, with some helpful advice from the older ellith. They know the males well and knows who's gonna do the job well."

The two ellith were chanting something while they threw what had to be pollen onto both the young elleth and the male, then the couple was more or less pushed into the hut and the rawhide door closed behind them. The males of the tribe left but the females remained standing around the hut and they sang something rather loud and shrill. Narriar had a crooked grin on his face. "If those two can be heard in spite of that racket it is a good sign, in special if she screams so loud she drowns out that infernal chanting."

Ravenne felt her cheeks burn. "But won't it be painful for her, I mean, If he really is her first?"

Narriar blushed, he looked a bit embarrassed. "Ah, well, the ceremony of initiation last a week for a female. This is the last piece. When she emerges from that hut she is an adult and has to act as one too. The first thing that happens is that the healers bring the girl into the woods to a special place where only the females are allowed access. We males don't even know where it is. They will tell her old secrets which only the ellith are allowed to know and they will make her drink some brews that allow her to see her spirit animal and talk to the spirits."

Ravenne made a grimace. "Right, that is rather common in some cultures back on earth too. "

He nodded. "She will know what her adult name will be then, and over to your question, hmm, that is a bit, what shall I say, weird in the eyes of someone outside of our people."

Ravenne frowned. "Ok? How?"

Narriar stared down, he looked very embarrassed indeed. "We are a people of the forest, to us that is everything, the thing that nurtures us, holds our spirits, takes our lives and gives us reason to live. The ellith doesn't regard us ellyn as worthy of deflowering a maiden and we wouldn't do it either, no male of our people would ever hurt a female, even by being her first lover."

Ravenne cocked her head. "Really? Then how?"

He swallowed hard and she could see that his ears were turning red. "This is awkward, normally only the females talk about this. Ah, in that secret place there is a sacred tree, or rather two trees that has grown into each other, they are wrapped together and can never be separated. That is the great mother and father tree, we regard it as the parents of the forest, the start of everything and it is very sacred to us. When a baby is born the placenta is buried in front of the mother, as a sacrifice."

Ravenne just shrugged, the customs of this people were weird but it was nice that they regarded the forest with such respect. Narriar scratched the back of his neck, his ears were burning red still. "The father tree is what the ellith refer to as their true mate, they sacrifice their maidenhood to the tree."

Ravenne gaped. "What? How is that possible?"

Narriar lifted his hands. "Whoa, this is something I have been told right, I haven't seen it with my own eyes. It would be sacrilege. But two of the roots of the huge tree meet and a piece of a third root has been carved down right there, into…well, a very naturalistic looking…manhood!"

He wasn't looking at her at all. Ravenne just shook her head in disbelief. "So they…do it with that?"

He nodded. "Yes, while still in that trance, I guess they just sit down on it, letting it penetrate them and remove their barrier. If they enjoy it at all I don't know but to the females it is a sacred rite, it will ensure that they become fertile and has easy births and healthy children. When it is done the older ellith will take the girl to a hut where she has to stay for a week without leaving it, they will teach her everything she needs to know about being an adult and then it is ended as you see now."

Ravenne turned her attention back towards the hut again, the females were still chanting but she could see that they were grinning. There were some sounds coming from the hut which made it very clear that both inside of it were enjoying themselves, a lot. Narriar smiled. "She will be blessed, I am sure of it. Just listen, she will want to repeat this as often as she can"

Ravenne giggled. "Yeah, no doubt about that. "

Narriar kissed her cheek. "Wait here, I have to send the runners out."

He turned around and gathered some of the ellyn, he spoke to them and they nodded, grasped some weapons and left the camp without saying anything. Narriar returned to her and he looked worried. "They will be back in a couple of days, but the tribe of Gwhyym we are trading with hasn't been heard from in many days. I don't like that."

Ravenne looked at him. "So, what are we to do now?"

He smiled. "We rest for a while and eat and then we will head out into the mountain, I am sure we can find the old wise one within a day or two."

Ravenne smiled. "Great, we have to get going as soon as we can."

Narriar shouted an order and the fire pits were lit and some brought some meat placed on stakes. It was to be roasted above the fire and Ravenne made a grimace. She wasn't so sure if she was looking forward to this meal. The rest of the expedition gathered too and Gwan and Haldir wanted to tag along and help looking for that old elleth. Narriar let them and Ravenne could see that they both were exited to go out there and explore. The meat was slow roasting and Ravenne was surprised by the taste. It had been rubbed with herbs and tasted amazing and Narriar grinned when he saw how impressed she was. "We have good cooks you see, this world has many spices and we know how to use them!"

Ravenne had to grin. "I understand that now!"

She stared into the fire and could not help but wonder how things were back home, were her family safe? Were they even alive? She closed her eyes and prayed that they all were ok. She did this for them, for them all. If they were dead it was all for nothing, the gods could not be that cruel or could they? Narriar saw her expression and squeezed her hand tightly, he nodded slowly. "They are alright Rav, just believe, don't give up hope."

She smiled and tried to sound confident. "I won't, ever!"

Back in Aman the first light of day started to appear above the mountains, Thranduil and Oropher had just gotten out of bed and neither had slept much. They felt tired and scared and they didn't look forward to the last part of the journey at all. Legolas was already down in the stables, he was telling the stable workers to prepare their horses and Thranduil hoped that they could get a couple of extra mounts. He and Oropher were finishing a rather quick meal when they heard shouts. They rushed outside and saw that the guard standing on the wall above the gate was waving his hands. "There is a group of riders coming!"

Legolas came running and Thranduil and he ran up onto the wall, stared down the valley. It was indeed a group of riders, perhaps forty and even from a distance it was rather clear that many were injured. Many were walking too and Thranduil estimated that it had to be almost a hundred elves in all. These were refugees, but there were no safe places to be found. Oropher yelled an order. "Open the gates, gather the healers if you have any. We have incoming wounded."

The warriors opened the gates and a few riders left the main group and rode fast up towards the city. Thranduil recognized one of them, he bit his teeth together and Legolas saw a few lines on his father's face that hadn't been there before. He had no idea if it was a good sign or a bad one. The riders rushed through the gate and stopped their horses, a couple of them were wounded and they were all bloody and their eyes haunted and dark.

Thranduil walked down the stairs and the riders saw him, some of them looked a bit shocked. "Aran Thranduil, we didn't expect to see you here?"

Thranduil bowed his head, his eyes were as cold and calculating as they always had been when he was meeting someone as a king and his voice smooth but flat. "Neither did I expect to meet you here Celeborn?"

Celeborn gasped and Legolas could see a hint of pain in his eyes, his tunic was bloody and he was leaning too much to his left side. "We had to flee, all of us. The monsters, they just killed everything they saw."

Thranduil saw the genuine fear in the eyes of the other elf and some of his antagonism died down, he had never liked Celeborn and the other members of that family but he guessed that the situation was so bad that they shouldn't hold on to old grudges. "You are hurt?"

Celeborn groaned and leaned towards his panting horse. "It is not that bad, there are those among us who are worse. We barely managed to escape, those lights sent from earth were our salvation, the monsters feared those."

Thranduil stared at the group, he recognized several of the elves in it and he got a freezing suspicion. "Your wife?"

Celeborn appeared to be close to collapsing and Oropher grasped him and held him, Thranduil could see that the ellon was close to passing out. "In the convoy, she is badly hurt, please, help her!"

Oropher lowered Celeborn to the ground, healers were running out from the buildings now and the front of the convoy reached the gate. Thranduil had a weird sensation in his chest, if anyone as strong as Galadriel could be hurt by these beasts then nobody was indeed safe. Not even the Valar themselves. Suddenly the square was a chaos of desperate elves and Legolas and Vegylion screamed orders to the soldiers to take the horses and help those who needed it. Galadriel lay on a stretcher behind a horse and she was unconscious and pale, she was breathing very shallowly and Thranduil shook his head in disbelief. She had always been so strong, so adamant. If anyone was strength incarnate it was her and here she was, broken like some fragile vulnerable thing. He saw that one of her maids stood by the stretcher. "What happened to her?"

The elleth was pale and bloody and her eyes were just too large, she was in shock. "A monster, my lady was fighting like an ellon but it was too fast, a claw hit her, pierced her."

Thranduil lifted the blanket covering the once so mighty elleth and he cringed, he turned away and swallowed hard. She was not going to make it, the wound was mortal and he felt like screaming in rage against destiny itself. Was everything after all coming to an end? Why did those who once were strong, who fought and won against the very darkness itself fall victims to such thoughtless evil? It wasn't right, it just wasn't right!

One of the warriors following the convoy bowed and hawked. "We have lost almost two hundred soldiers, the beasts followed us. And the country is burning my lord, they have attacked almost every city and village. The number of dead is unfathomable. We hoped to find shelter in the mountains."

Thranduil stared at the group assembled there, tired wounded scared elves. People who had lost everything, even hope itself and he felt a burning rage rush through his veins. This city was no safe place, not any more. He made a decision and could see that Oropher already knew what he was thinking about, his father nodded his head slowly and Thranduil took a deep breath. "Good people, listen up. This is no safe place, they will come for us all if we stay here. But back in my home there is shelter, if the gods are good we can find safety there."

Legolas swallowed. "It is going to be hell getting everybody there alive. What about the wounded ones?"

Thranduil had straightened himself up. "Nireariel and the others can help them, it is their only chance. We have to use all the horses and wagons in this place but if we do nothing everybody will die"

Legolas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright ada, what do you want me to do?"

Thranduil smiled. "Get the inhabitants here ready to leave, tell them to travel light, and the warriors must carry weapons. We have to move fast so don't let anyone bring anything that isn't absolutely needed. "

Legolas looked serious but he turned around and started giving orders to the warriors, the city was to be evacuated and Thranduil just prayed that he hadn't put everybody in mortal danger with this decision. But the monsters would soon forget about their defeat and come for Tirion too and they could not face another attack there. They were too few, it would be suicide. Perhaps leaving was just as suicidal but at least they were trying to save as many as possible.

Thranduil grabbed onto one of the warriors who had followed Celeborn. "Do you know anything at all about the cities, Valmar and the harbor?"

The soldier took a deep breath, his face was a bit green. "I think the bigger cities has managed to keep the monsters out, but they cannot hold back for long."

Thranduil closed his eyes for a second, he hoped that as many as possible would survive this. He nodded. "Very well, help the others."

He sat down on the stairs and felt tired, would this be the end of everything? He wished to see Nireariel again, if only once. He wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her and tell her how much he loved her. His heart was aching for her and he swore that if he died he would seek her still, Mandos could call him until he went hoarse, he would not leave for the halls until he had seen her again and knew she was safe.

In the afternoon the convoy was ready to leave and now it was much bigger. It would move slowly and the warriors were armed with the strange lights from earth and they all knew that this was it. They would reach New Greenwood or die. Thranduil had given his horse to some children and he saw that all the other ellyn had done the same. They were on foot and he touched the hilt of his sword and whispered a short prayer. Ravenne had to find the source and destroy it, he put his faith in his feisty daughter now and her abilities. "Remember who you are penneth, remember what you can do!"

He started the long walk back home and knew that he would face the enemy as a king and if the gods demanded his life he would face death too as a king. He would not go down without a decent fight and with his father and son by his side he knew that they would make the enemy bleed first.


	11. Do not walk quietly into the night

**Chapter Eleven: Do not walk quietly into the night**

Do not willingly bow

Don't let it steal your strength

Face the falling darkness with courage

Keep your steel sharp, keep your spirit alive

Remember who you are

The small group left the camp after a short rest. Ravenne was excited to see the landscape but she was worried too. Haldir and Gwan were calm and concentrated and Narriar was leading them through the dark forest with ease. He walked without making any sound and she had to admit that he really belonged there. He was one with the forest and that even more so than the elves she was used to back home. The landscape was indeed wild, it was if it hadn't had time to be worn down by time yet, steep hills and mountains, wild rivers and deep canyons and the strange faint light made it hard to see the details or determine distances. He had no problems though and he obviously knew the almost invisible paths like the back of his own hand. Haldir was impressed, his warriors back at Lothlorien would have had problems finding their way there but Narriar never lost his course even when they had to take detours to avoid dangerous areas. Narriar told them of the animals and plants they saw while they walked and Ravenne saw a few rather bizarre creatures she hardly believed to be real, including a huge armadillo like animal the size of a SUV. Narriar told them that they sometimes would use the armor of these creatures as huts when they were on the move.

The landscape rose slowly towards a range of extremely ragged mountains which seemed to reach into the very skies itself, they looked like a row of teeth and Ravenne felt a chill run down her spine. They looked menacing and she could see that Haldir and Gwan thought that too. Narriar grinned. "Those we call the dragons teeth, nobody knows what's beyond them. It is impossible to cross the peaks, and there are no safe passes."

Haldir puckered his brow in a frown. "Have anyone tried?"

Narriar nodded. "Yes, many seasons ago. I think it was back at the time of my father's father. Three very brave ellyn tried, they found the body of one of them in the river, the other ones went missing."

Gwan sighed. "I bet that this world is huge, it would be a thrill to explore it but not without a huge group and a lot of equipment."

Ravenne had to agree on that.

They walked for what had to be hours, they entered a very long and narrow valley covered with a strange type of coniferous trees, it was beautiful but strange and she could see huge herds of animals by the river. Narriar smiled. "Bhilak and Dhybhyrr, the most common plant eaters here. Peaceful unless disturbed and they taste very good too"

They took a small break to drink and rest before they continued walking, Ravenne felt a little lightheaded and she realized that the air there was different than back home. It was thinner when you got high up in the mountains. They saw some large bear like animals Narriar took them in a wide circle around and Ravenne understood that they were dangerous, then he showed them a huge meadow covered with some thick leaved low plants he told them was used as a sort of vegetable but it had to be cooked first, eating it raw would cause serious constipation. Haldir had to grin hearing that piece of information. Some huge bugs which looked like spiders were scurrying around the forest floor and Ravenne was a bit startled by them until Narriar told her they were completely harmless. They could not even bite and they ate only tree sap. They used to keep some as pets for the children and they could dry the bodies and turn the shells into cups and plates.

Ravenne had to grin, everything there was so very strange. Gwan saw a giant snake that gave him the jitters and Narriar just smiled and told him that these snakes were delicious. Haldir grinned by Gwan's expression of disbelief. They walked up another valley and Ravenne was stunned to see that the river coming from it was steaming. It had to come from some hot springs and she could smell the sulphur. Narriar explained that there were many volcanic areas in Lithui and some volcanoes too. His people feared those places and did never go to them.

The view they got when they entered the highland area was stunning, the land lay there below them shimmering like a forest covered with frost, shining and almost unreal. Ravenne had never seen such beauty and she could see that Narriar understood what she was thinking and he was a bit proud of his home. They were breathing hard now but Narriar appeared to be unaffected by the height and Ravenne made a grimace, he was able to keep a tempo which would completely drain the strength of all others. The valley they now entered was wide and u shaped and the forest consisted of low and dense bushes with some almost crippled trees among them. It was a naked and almost barren area with a small lake in the middle and some very steep and snow covered peaks surrounding it. Narriar stopped and took a look around, it was spooky to see how his eyes were shining and Ravenne knew that her own probably did the same, just not in the same color. He frowned. "She lives in this area, I just hope she still is alive."

Haldir sighed and sat down on a rock. "Great, do we go looking?"

Narriar shook his head. "No, we won't find her if we try, she will have to come to us."

He threw his head back and shouted something very loud. The echo came back from the mountains and sounded almost like some distant choir. He sat down too and nodded to Gwan. "You should eat a little, it could be some time before she gets here."

They unpacked the rations they had brought, it was the type of food you get in bags and to prepare it you added water and waited for a moment. Ravenne stared at the bag she had gotten, roast chicken it said with big bold letters but when they had added water, stirred and waited it looked more like an accident than anything else. Gwan took some bites and stuck his tongue out with an expression of disgust. "This chicken must have run into a landmine or something, it is more blown to smithereens than roasted!"

Haldir took a bite of his ration, he whimpered. "Gods, if we have to eat this for many days my stomach will cause me unimaginable agony. This steak is indeed roasted, by a dragon! This is charcoal!"

Ravenne grinned, her food looked like something that had been eaten already, and regurgitated and it smelled almost like it too. She gulped and spilled it behind a rock, she wasn't that hungry at all. Narriar raised an eyebrow and stared at them with a puzzled expression. "This food was made by humans, and they cannot have taste buds at all."

Haldir's explanation was met with a snort from Narriar, he was laughing really hard. Gwan and Haldir did also sacrifice their rations to the wild and whatever creatures out there brave enough to risk their stomachs eating the stuff. Ravenne stared at the skies once more when she suddenly heard a sound and whipped her head around. An elleth stood on a rock and stared at them with strange dark eyes, her gaze was piercing and she looked very peculiar. She was seemingly young but Ravenne could sense that she was extremely ancient, she could very well be as old as this world and Ravenne sensed that this female was very powerful indeed. Narriar bowed very deeply and he appeared to be filled with a deep respect. The female stared at them, she wore a skirt made from an untanned skin of some sort and amulets and other weird objects hang around her neck. She held onto a walking stick decorated with pieces of skin, small skulls and bones. This was really a shaman and Ravenne had a sense of almost fear. She knew that the elleth knew something, something which would forever change everything.

Narriar held his right hand over his heart, he wasn't speaking and Ravenne knew that he was waiting for the woman to speak first. She sent them a wry grin, jumped down from the rock as agile as a cat and tilted her head, stared at Narriar. "Narriar, son of Habathiar, I know you chief of the dragons."

He swallowed. "Yes ancient and honored one."

She turned around, stared at Haldir and Gwan. "Brave warriors, fine ellyn. I see strength in these two, good, you will need it!"

Her voice was a bit hoarse, a bit strange. She stared at Ravenne and a narrow smile spread across her face, she reached out and touched Ravennes face. She twitched, it felt as if though the female touched far more than just her skin, something reached her very soul and she felt very frightened. "Ah phivanil, how lovely and how unaware of your potential. It will change little one, it will change"

The female cocked her head, those dark eyes were like dark ponds devoid of light and Ravenne senses something akin to hunger in them. It was frightening. "Do not fear the darkness little lioness, you are a part of it but embraced by the light. Sometimes you need a hero but let me tell you all something. You cannot fight true evil without becoming evil, to fight fire become fire, to conquer darkness only darkness will do."

Ravenne took a deep breath. "What do you mean?"

The elleth chuckled. "That you must remember what and who you are, with what you have been blessed."

Ravenne shook her head. "I am cursed, not blessed!"

The elleth had an almost wicked grin on her face. "Oh, are you? A curse or a blessing, it all depends on how you choose to view it. Oh yes I know you, you won't believe me but I do. To survive this you must embrace it all, unleash your inner huntress, forget about being anything but your true self. You were feral child, become feral once more"

Narriar saw that Ravenne was pale, that her lips were shivering and her eyes huge. "Do you know of the threat we are facing? "

The elleth laughed, a low chuckling laughter. "Do I know it? How could I not know of it, the very land is crying out in fear, in anguish. Ah they are the spawn of destruction these ones, reapers of death, destroyers of world."

Ravenne held her breath. "Would you please tell us more?"

The ancient one sat down, she was smiling again, a dark smile. "Then I must go back, a long time indeed. Back to a time before this world was even born."

Haldir and Gwan was staring at her with wide eyes and she sent them a slow grin. "Yes, I am that old, I will not bore you with the details of who or what I really am but I have seen worlds come and go, to me time is but a word, a worthless phrase."

Narriar gasped and Ravenne saw the deep reverence in his eyes. The creature smiled again. "These creatures are the locust of the universe, they travel through space itself and when they arrive they reap all they can until the resources are depleted completely, then they leave for another world and it repeats itself."

Ravenne had to swallow hard. "How do they travel?"

The elleth raised an elegant arm, drew a line across the skies with her hand. "With eggs, the queen will harvest as much as she can and breed as many of her minions as she possibly can. When the end is near and there is no more food to be found she will prepare to die, by then she has been fed with the best food for months or even years, she is strong and filled with a special kind of eggs. Eggs that can survive in space."

Ravenne had problems even believing this but she somehow knew it was true. "And then?"

The female cocked an eyebrow. "She will creep out of her hive for the last time and her body will burst in an explosion that will toss the eggs out into space. Her job will be done and the same thing will happen again, in some new unfortunate place."

Ravenne frowned. "The workers had primitive armor and weapons, and they have visited other worlds than this, both my home and earth."

The ancient one nodded. "Yes, they may be nothing more than simple brainless brutes but she is not. The queen is cunning phivanil, very cunning. Do not reveal anything about yourself cause she is like a she-dragon, sly! She has great powers and strong magic, do not underestimate her."

Narriar made a grimace."Then how do we rid ourselves of this threat?"

The elleth grinned. "I have already told you, Ravenne is the key, the solution. She just have to see it, and see what her gift really is."

The strange female touched Ravenne's chin. "You thought yourself cursed child, but you were only waiting for your one, as you already have guesses. That was not the curse you thought you were carrying."

Ravenne sighed. "Then what? What is my curse for the flesh?"

The female lowered her gaze. "The most terrible and bitter one to carry, so like my own."

She stood up, grasped her staff. "I have answered your questions, now go and do what you must. There is little time, I hear cries in the wind and I smell blood, her hunger is without boundaries."

Narriar raised his arm in a pleading motion as if to ask yet another question and the elleth sent him a quick glance. "Yes."

That was all she said and Narriar stared at her with huge eyes, Ravenne stared at him with confusion and he just shook his head. The elleth disappeared among the shadows and they did not see how her eyes were shining. She had sensed it, seen it. She chuckled, the young one did not know it but the future was already set, she had seen it. She had seen what was to be. Yes, there would be another one, another spiritwalker. The elleth continued to chuckle as she seemed to dissipate into the darkness, it would begin soon enough.

Ravenne felt scared still and Narriar was shivering slightly. Haldir and Gwan got back onto their feet and they looked nervous too. "So, we have to find this hive and kill the queen before she has time to spread that spawn of hers all over the universe? Sounds like fun if you ask me!"

Gwan spat and shook his head in disbelief and Ravenne tried to pull herself together again. She looked down. "It seems as though I am the key to this. "

Haldir smiled at her. "Don't worry, I am sure that it will go well, we are well prepared and experienced."

Narriar stared into the darkness and Ravenne had to admire his profile, it looked very regal and proud but there was some sort of unease in his eyes. "Experienced yes, but not with this kind of problem."

Gwan swallowed and made a grimace. "This is one problem we have to solve at the first attempt. We will have no time to learn. So I suggest that we head back down and see if there is anything new to be learned from the other clans."

Narriar smiled but Ravenne could see that he still felt worried. She caressed his hand and he gave her a grateful smile. They started walking and Ravenne noticed that the huge star had descended and was almost at the horizon. The shadows were a bit longer and darker and she heard sounds from the woods she hadn't heard before, they made the hairs stand up at the back of her neck. She shook her head and tried to remain calm but Narriar saw her worry and grinned. "it is just the calls of a herd of Ibhet, they sound terrible but they are tiny cute animals. Fast like lightening and not much meat on them but their furs are so very soft and we use them for our beds."

Ravenne tried to smile, that those howling screeching sounds came from small cute animals was hard to believe. Narriar grinned again. "If you hear a very sweet and soft whistling song which sounds almost like that of a bird do run, it is probably a _Jhibhadi_, a very devious and dangerous predator. They are rare but they are lethal, they subdue their victims by hypnotizing them and then they inject them with a poison that makes it dissolve from the inside out. It is a most horrible way to die and we try to kill them if we discover any in our territory."

Ravenne sighed. "Let me guess, they look pretty?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, they are lovely to look at and we use their hide and bones for many things and the jaws are often used as cutting tools. The brain is by the way very valuable, we use it to tan delicate hides."

Haldir was listening with interest but Gwan was a bit green in his face. Ravenne had to laugh at his expression. They made haste and they returned to the camp when it had become quiet for the night. Some ellyn were standing watch and Narriar spoke a few words with them before he turned to Ravenne. "I have forgotten to ask you if you want to stay in the tents for the night or if you want to be with me, in my hut?"

She giggled. "I haven't even seen the inside of one of your huts yet. I am curious so yes, I will stay with you."

He grinned widely. "Good, follow me."

She went behind him to a hut that looked pretty much like the others, being a chief didn't mean that he got any better housing than the others. The door was a flap of leather and it was pitch black in there. He turned around. "Wait here, I will find some light."

She waited and she could hear a lot of action going on inside of the hut, he was obviously tidying up the place beside looking for a source of light. After a short while he opened the door once more, he held a sort of lamp in his hand and he smiled. "Do enter, and feel welcome."

She bowed down and entered, she discovered that the floor of the hut was far below ground level, a small stair was built from the opening and down to the earth floor and she stared around herself with astonishment. She had imagined something very primitive but the place was cozy and looked inviting. He had some sort of wooden table standing by the wall on one side, it had a simple and yet beautifully carved chairs standing next to it. There were several crates there and they too were carved from wood. Some clothes and weapons hang from a rack and then the inner part of the hut was a bed area and it was rather large. She stared, she had never seen this type of bed arrangement before. It was obvious that they had dug a rather huge and deep hole in the ground, then they had filled it with the nice white sand of a river bed and some huge pelt had been placed on top of it and been attached to the walls and the floor in some manner. It created a sort of pit and within it lay many large soft looking furs that had been stitched together, It looked both comfortable and warm and she realized that with the sand underneath the bedding would shape itself after the bodies sleeping in it, like a modern matrass. Narriar smiled. "This is my home, it isn't much but at least it is warm and comfortable."

Ravenne nodded, she felt stiff and tender after the fast march and she struggled with her armor. Narriar came over and started helping her with it, unstrapping it and while he did it he landed small light kisses on her skin as he exposed it. It made her feel so strangely alive once more and she gasped as he removed her last garments and started licking and kissing the back of her neck. He had found her weak spot and he wasn't going to forget that so easily. He got rid of his own clothes and lifted her up, carried her over to the bed. He gently laid her down among the furs and she was astonished to find out that they were incredibly soft and silky against her skin, it felt like chinchilla fur and she had to squirm against them to really relish in the sensual feeling. Narriar chuckled. "Thought you would like them, sleeping in these furs is like nothing else. "

He kissed her softly but with hunger and she answered it, pulled him over her. Before long they both had forgotten about everything else than their pleasure and the ancient song of their blood.

Ravenne was dozing, the darkness within the hut was almost absolute so she saw little but she didn't have to. She felt Narriars body close to her own and heard his slow breath, felt his warmth. It was all she needed. She wanted to sleep but had problems with it, there were too many thoughts tormenting her. What had that strange elleth really meant with the words she had said? It was haunting her again and again and she feared to find the truth.

She sighed, stared out into the darkness. Up north, it would all end up north, she just knew it. They would win or die and she would not have feared death before but now she did, she had something to loose now, something precious to her. Narriar was sleeping like a child and she had to grin when she thought of the way he made her laugh and squirm and just let go of everything. He was so gentle with her, so tender. It was as if he couldn't touch her enough, he had caressed every inch of her or so it at least felt. The only strange thing about him she had noticed was that he sometimes would bite her right at the moment of his climax, she guessed that it was a pure reflex and not something he was aware of. She had some nice marks on her neck and shoulders but she didn't mind. It was a part of the package and she giggled and snuggled against the silky furs. She wondered what her family would say if she survived and they met him, she wondered if they would survive. She swallowed and prayed that the good forces of the world would protect her family, then she slowly was overtaken by her fatigue and fell asleep. Narriar grunted in his sleep and pulled her closer to him, as if to make sure that she really was there and not just some dream.

Nireariel and Astar had been sitting in the great hall for a while when she recovered from her use of the song. Astar had never seen his daughter like this before, there was a strange fire flickering in her eyes and she held her head high. She looked like some warrior queen, like a she-dragon ready to protect her young. She was still tired but determined, if this night brought another attack she would do whatever she could to protect them all. Astarion had returned to his family to rest and Raina was sleeping in Nireariel's own room while her husband watched over her. Nireariel hoped that they would be strong enough to help her if it was needed. Poicano was joining them, he was visibly nervous and the healer worried that this would be too much for Nireariel. He did not dare to say anything because he knew how stubborn she was but he wanted to be there to avoid that she injured her fea with this. He had been the healer of the court of Thranduil for ages and he wasn't going to forget about his duties even with monsters clawing at the walls. Far from it although he was more terrified than ever before.

In the middle of the day some new elves had come to the palace and they had brought with them the crate with lights Thranduil had sent. It had been split up into sacks and transported on horseback so it had arrived earlier than anticipated. Nireariel was glad it had, but she did not trust these things. The elves who had hidden within the forest was ok, the trees protected them and they had not been detected. The home of Oropher had been ignored too, it held nothing living now and these monsters didn't care about dead structures. Nireariel worried about the avorren elves who lived further south near the borders but she knew that they were very capable of hiding. The palace was filled with elves now and there were bedrolls everywhere, even in the throne room. Some children were running around playing and enjoying the excitement of the unusual situation, Nireariel was glad that they didn't realize the severity of it, that they were in mortal danger. She had sent some warriors out to check the structure and it was unharmed. It was just as strong as it had been and she had taken a deep breath of relief. But another night was close at hand and she wondered if the next attack would be even worse if it came. She prayed that it wouldn't but she was somehow sure that these monsters wouldn't back down, they knew there was food there and they wanted it.

When darkness fell she ordered that everybody moved into the structure and that the children returned to the vaults. Astarion was ready to fight once more and Raina was scared but calm. Nireariel was very proud of them and she just wished that Ravenne could be there with them. She just hoped that her daughter was safe, that she wasn't alone and afraid. Nireariel just sighed when she heard the first calls from the guards. The monsters were appearing again and she closed her eyes and gathered all her strength. She slowly let herself fall into a state of trance and spoke to the roses once more. Astarion and Raina did their part too and this time they allowed their faer to merge so they could coordinate it better and draw strength from each other. The guards shut the hatches and some had placed themselves on top of the structure well out of reach for the monsters, armed with the UV lights. Nireariel thought that these ellyn were very brave but the monsters didn't have bows and could not reach them as long as the walls were protected by Nireariel and the two others. They heard the first roars outside and all three of them took a deep breath and prepared themselves. They had seen the most efficient methods last night and they would use them again this night. They could just pray that it would be enough.

The convoy out of Tirion was moving slowly through the pass, survivors from the villages had joined them and more had come from the area east of the mountains. When darkness fell there were at least a thousand elves there and it meant that the convoy moved extremely slowly. Thranduil and Oropher was in despair, they could not hope to protect this many, it was impossible. If the monsters came now it would end in utter bloodshed and there were no place to hide. Many were wounded and Thranduil started to fear that most of them would perish before they could reach the woods. Galadriel was close to death now and Celeborn was beside himself with fear and sorrow, Thranduil hadn't really liked him because of her influence on him, after all she was a noldor and everybody knew that even if they were regarded as a very noble group they were also capable of creating terrible situations just because of their strength of will and determination. Legolas was worried too, they had perhaps four hundred capable soldiers and with all the weapons from the cache in the old armory they could give them all something at least but it would not help them against the monsters.

Oropher meant that the monsters would come for the convoy and Thranduil agreed, it was just a matter of time. They had to do something to protect them but what? In the pass there were no places to hide and they were basically sitting ducks. Thranduil saw the children who were being carried by their parents, most of them were traumatized, having seen things someone of their tender age never should have had to witness and his heart was bleeding for them. They had to save these innocent lives, but how? Thranduil ordered the wounded to be placed onto the horses for faster transport and it was done but they could not leave the rest of the convoy behind, abandon them all to a terrible faith. He had no idea of how things were back east now, if anyone was alive at all. He knew that Elrond and his family probably were in Valmar by now and he suspected that the big cities were overcrowded with refugees. The situation had to be absolutely terrible and he remembered days of old when the situation had been dire. But back then they had known their enemy, they had been aware of his strength and will and they knew that they could beat him. This enemy defied logics, it was like some mindless force of nature and Thranduil felt a deep despair. How could they really hope to fight something like this? Were they mad? But he refused to just give up and be killed like some worthless animal.

The convoy did make a lot of noise and he didn't hear at first when one of the guards came running yelling like crazy. Thranduil didn't notice the ellon before he almost stumbled over a rock and stopped in front of him, the elf's eyes were wide and he was gasping. "My liege, I spoke with a local shepherd, there is a cave in the mountains up ahead, It is not large but it can hold this convoy, and it can be easily defended too."

Thranduil felt his heart skip a beat, he spun around. "Quick, show me, there is no time to spare"

The ellon gasped and ran again and Thranduil followed him. He was glad he only wore a short tunic and not his usual layered coats, it would have been a nightmare to run in those. They ran up a narrow path made by the herds of sheep and goats and it was steep and winding but it could be used. It ran along the foot of the mountain and he saw the cave all of a sudden. It lay in the mountainside and it was perhaps fifty meters up from the ground underneath it. A ladder had been made up to it and the opening wasn't that large but he saw that at least five ellyn could stand shoulder to shoulder there. Above the dark opening the mountainside leaned outwards in an overhang that protected it from above and Thranduil knew that this was the solution. He turned around and waved his arm to the front riders. "Get everybody up here, now!"

It became a chaos, but everybody understood what they had to do and so the warriors helped the families and the weak ones up the path. The ladder was rather solid and could take many at once and since elves are agile by nature getting everybody up and into the cave went fast and easy. There was a sense of slight panic but before long only those who were on horseback was left and Thranduil saw that Oropher nodded to him. The wounded had to get to New Greenwood fast and they would have to ride hard now. The warriors who chose to stay at the cave were armed with bows and UV lights and the ladder was pulled up. The monsters could not walk through rocks and the cave opening was too high of the ground for them to reach.

Legolas had gotten his horse back and so had Thranduil and Oropher. They had managed to get steeds for some warriors who were escorting the wounded and Thranduil turned around and addressed them. "Do not stop for anything, prove that you are brave warriors, knights of Eldamar. Let nothing steal your courage, ride for salvation and life"

The ellyn just nodded. They had gotten the armors they had found in Tirion and Legolas had strapped his own on now. Thranduil found it weird to see his son clad in the armor of an ancient time but it looked good. He had to think that his son could have made a great leader had things been different. Vegylion was among the warriors and he looked eager and ready to fight, Thranduil had given him command of a third of the group and Vegylion had appreciated that. They had about a hundred wounded elves who had to get to New Greenwood fast, the ones with lesser injuries were in the cave, they could be treated there by the healers of Tirion but those close to dying could not wait any longer. The remains of the convoy started moving and this time at a gallop. They would push their horses to their very limit but there was no other option. Some sat up on the horses holding those who were unconscious or too weak to ride alone and Thranduil saw that Celeborn was holding Galadriel in his arms, he looked terrible and Thranduil just prayed that they wouldn't be delayed. The road through the pass was wide and good and they made good speed. The ones riding in front were carrying torches and the thunder of hooves made the ground shake. They had reached the end of the pass when they saw motion up ahead, it was a group of monsters of perhaps thirty and they were obviously waiting for them. Legolas screamed an order and the archers rode to the front of the convoy, they had smeared oil onto some arrows and fired burning missiles at the monsters. Thranduil knew that they only had one shot at this, they had to win. The archers felled quite a few which was remarkable knowing that they fired from a moving horse. Thranduil drew his sword, felt a bitter taste of fear in his mouth but he could not hesitate. A shock attack was their best strategy now and they had to make use of their horses and their speed. The swords men rode to the front and spurred their mounts, they didn't have spears or lances and it was a pity because with such weapons they could have done much damage. Instead they had to rely on their swords and that meant getting close up to the beasts.

The monsters were roaring and waving their clubs and Oropher shouted an order. The riders at the back of the line of warriors turned their flashlights on and aimed them at the monsters. The beasts screamed on pain, smoke rose from their skin and the first line of riders hit them like a war hammer. They all had trained horses and the animals just ran straight into the line of beasts and knocked them over. The huge creatures weren't that agile and lost balance rather easily. Then the next line came with swords and Thranduil was among them. He swung the dragons tooth against a hideously looking thing and ran the blade straight through the mouth of the beast so the end came out through its neck. Then he jerked the blade back and spurred his horse for another attack. There was screaming and roaring the whinnying from terrified horses, Oropher was fighting like a madman and he cut throats and limbs like some crazy reaper. Thranduil had never seen his father like this before, not even at the Dagorlad.

Legolas did also kill his fair share and Vegylion was laughing while he crushed some heads with a huge Warhammer he had brought from Tirion. The weapon proved to very efficient and after a while the monsters were dead. Thranduil shook the strange sensation of dreaming out of his head, he had killed at least five monsters and the sword had indeed been like the tooth of a dragon, it had pierced even the flesh of these beasts with ease. None were wounded but they had lost three horses, fortunately they had some reserve animals and could ride on. Thranduil just hoped that they wouldn't encounter any more groups of beasts. It would be just too much.

The road from the pass did split up down in the foothills and they took the path leading south towards the forests of Orome. It was still several days ride if you held a normal tempo but he hoped that they could reach New Greenwood in just two days if they rode really hard. It would be too late for some but he crossed his fingers still, they could perhaps save most of them.

At the palace Nireariel and the two others were engaged in a fight of their own. This time the monsters were not only workers but also warriors and those were bigger and far more terrible. They had few weak spots but Nireariel had discovered that they were rather slow. They did not move fast enough to get out of the way when the living forest around the palace moved in for the kill. The best way to get rid of the huge warrior beasts was simply to toss them up in the air and let gravity do the rest. They were heavy so it was like crushing an insect. Nireariel and Astarion knew how to control their powers this night, how to save their strength and use it efficiently. Raina spoke to the forests around the palace and her powers awakened the entire area, and it spread out like rings in water. The forest became more aware, more alive. It became as the forests of old, able to defend itself and rather hostile against any enemies. The attack was also interrupted by the use of the lights, it burned them and blinded them and seemed to frighten them more than anything else. When the first light of day appeared the remaining monsters were trapped there and they ran into the forest seeking shelter but found only death. The trees would grasp them, embrace them and squeeze them to death. Others were ripped apart or thrown into ponds and rivers where they sank like lumps of lead.

Nireariel and the two others weren't as tired this time as the time before, they were conscious and now they knew how to beat the beasts. They could only hope that they didn't bring something new they couldn't anticipate. Nireariel was carried off to rest by Poicano and Astarion helped Raina back to bed. She was pale and shivering and he knew that his sister wasn't as strong as she pretended to be. Her last miscarriage had drained her strength and he was very worried for her. He thought about the things Ravenne had said, perhaps this indeed was a last remnant of the curse Raina should have carried, but then what about him? He wasn't having any sorts of problems at all. The fortuneteller had said that his life would be easy, without great sorrows. Maybe it really was something biological that was the problem, then perhaps it could be healed in time. Astar had often said that if Haldanare had been there she would perhaps been able to solve the problem, but she hadn't been re-embodied yet. Neither had Thranduil's first wife, perhaps she would prefer not to meet him again, ever.

The daylight was a blessing but it revealed how the surroundings looked, the ground was covered with body parts and greenish goo, it looked terrible but it could be sorted out. Astar was really worried, this had to be stopped. They could not continue like this every night, sooner or later their defenses would fail somehow and that would be the end. He knew that Ravenne was in Lithui now and he closed his eyes and thought of his granddaughter. She was such a fierce spirit and something about her reminded him of his Haldanare, her fire was just as wild and untamed as Ravenne's but she had gone too far and become broken. He just prayed that Ravenne wouldn't have to make the same mistake as Haldanare had. He stood watching the grotesque sight outside the doors and noticed that Cunarin came walking, he looked down and was slightly pale. Astar knew that the others disliked Thranduil's brother and he had understood why but he was a very experienced ellon, he had seen a lot during his long life and he knew that there always is more to people than what meets the eye. He had sensed that Cunarin in some ways was a very tortured soul and watching the interactions between the dark haired ellon and the younger blond Caladem had told Astar a few truths. He had never seen the two of them together when Meldariel was present and it spoke volumes.

It was also apparent that Thranduil knew of this, he had seen that before their king left but Cunarin's mother was oblivious to the relationship. Now on the other hand something had happened and Cunarin looked both scared and relieved at once. He sat down on a bench just inside of the doors and wiped away some tears from his eyes, he shuddered and sighed. Astar shrugged, walked over and Cunarin tensed up, looked as if he wished he was miles away. Astar sent the ellon a friendly glance. "You look distraught, what's the matter?"

Cunarin was shaking, he closed his eyes. "Naneth, she…she has found out that I and Caladem..,"

Astar tilted his head to the side. "And she didn't before?"

Cunarin shook his head. "No, Thran wanted me to tell her and I was going to, I swear I was but I wanted to wait until this calamity is over, if it ever ends. "

Astar petted him on his shoulder, he did indeed look a lot like a darker version of his brother. "Did someone tell her?"

Cunarin shook his head. "No, that would have been bad enough, no, she caught us, red handed so to speak, behind a closet in one of the storage rooms. I have never been so embarrassed in my life!"

Astar sighed. "Darn, I guess that is a bit awkward yes. Did she take it well or did she blow a fuse?"

Cunarin blushed. "She took it very well, she had had her suspicions she told me, even when I was just a lad. I never got in trouble with the ellith you know, as the other young ellyn did. But she didn't know the truth about me and Caladem. I killed someone Astar, to keep our relationship secret, and furthermore, I allowed myself to get killed to be reunited with Caladem when he was murdered by the orcs. That I died almost broke her heart back then and I had to tell her everything now, I mean, we might die! I didn't want to keep secrets any more, that part of it she didn't respond to nicely"

Astar made a grimace. "I can understand that yes."

Cunarin sighed and hid his face in his hands. "I don't think she will talk to me ever again, but at least the cat's out of the bag. She knows what a complete jerk I have been."

Astar felt a need to roll his eyes but he didn't. "Cunarin, you were young, heck, you still are young. She will come around eventually and forgive you. Don't worry, just wait and see. You are her son, she will forgive you eventually."

Cunarin sent him a pale grin. "Thank you for those words, I hope you are right. If we survive this I pray that she will be able to open her heart to me again."

Astar got on his feet again. "She will, and we will make it, I am sure of it."

The younger ellon just gave him a faint grin and sighed once more. "I pray you are right."

The group of riders had encountered a small group of monsters while on the road but they had been easy to fight off, they had been few and they seemed confused. The convoy had made it down to the forests now and the familiar forest paths felt like a welcoming embrace now. Thranduil had gotten a weird sensation when they reached the very forest itself, it was as if it was more alert than before, more awake. It was a strange sensation and he didn't really understand it. They rested for a short while by a small lake to let the horses drink and recuperate a bit before the next part of the journey. They had lost two of the wounded elves on the way, a young girl with a bad gash in her belly and an ellon who had lost his left arm. They had been left, they could not spend time on burials now, the forest would reclaim their bodies and perhaps that was just as good a funeral as a pyre. The horses were still strong but they were starting to feel the pressure. Thranduil just prayed that they would make it back by the next day. Several were in a very bad state. Galadriel was still alive and it was a miracle, it could be that some of the magic of her ring still existed within her. Celeborn was a terrible sight now and Thranduil suspected that he in fact used his own energy to keep her alive, that could be fatal also for him and he had to admit that he really hadn't understood the depth of the love between those two before. It was apparent that they really relied upon each other, he could just pray that they would make it back in time.

Nireariel was resting and Astarion was with his wife and children, Morilinde was watching over Raina, her husband was busy helping with the shores that still had to be done there and Raina was more tired than she wanted to admit. She wasn't used to use her powers like this and Morilinde was suspecting that something was eating away at her, and it was more apparent now because of the dire situation. Morilinde wasn't a blood relative, she was just married to Raina's half brother and they hadn't really spoken that much. Morilinde was a child of the woods, she had spent most of her life running around hunting, wearing only leather and sleeping in the bushes. Raina was a princess, she had been pampered her entire life and she had barely ever faced misery and grief. Morilinde did pity her, Raina was so gentle and soft, she had no real strength and Morilinde did of course know of Raina's main problem.

Raina sat in a chair and she was pale and shivering. Raina poured her a cup of wine and Raina accepted gracefully. She drank it all and gasped, put the cup down with trembling hands. Morilinde sat down next to her and threw a glance filled with sympathy towards the elleth. "You are scared right?"

Raina nodded. "Yes, terrified. I am afraid I'm not strong enough for this, for anything really."

Morilinde sighed. "I think you are very strong Raina, you just haven't seen it yet. You have suffered so many disappointments and yet you have hope, that is strength!"

Raina whimpered. "Oh Valar, I just want what the others have, my own family, my own child but I am being denied that joy over and over again, and there is no explanation to why! It just…it just ends!"

Morilinde didn't know the details about Raina's problem, she turned around in her chair. "Tell me, what does really happen? Has your mother tried to help?"

Raina nodded, she felt uncomfortable telling anyone about this but Morilinde was someone she hadn't really discussed this with before, perhaps she could see the problem differently. "Yes, and she hasn't been able to do anything about it. But everything is fine until I reach the sixth month and then I suddenly loose the baby."

Morilinde frowned. "Just like that? Your pregnancy just ends?"

Raina sighed, she hid her face in her hands, felt like crying once more. "Yes, I normally just wake up in the middle of the night and I just know it, the life and soul I could feel in there is gone!"

Morilinde stared at the elleth with concern in her eyes, her people were avari, dark elves. They had never seen the light of the trees and they hadn't really wanted to leave middle earth behind but they had to. The Valar had called them to sail and they had, very reluctantly. But their customs and beliefs had been closer bound to the forests and life itself than those of many other tribes. Her tribes shamans could see what others could not and Morilinde's mother had been one of them. Morilinde had inherited some of her gifts, she could perhaps try to see if there was a special reason why Raina's children all died before full term. She took a deep breath, Raina would have to trust her completely before she did this because it meant that Morilinde would see things Raina perhaps didn't want any others to know anything about. She grasped Raina's hand and tried to smile but the smile was a stiff one. "Raina, I may be able to help, I may be able to find out why this is happening to you. My mother had some powers and I have inherited some of them but before I do anything, there is something you need to know about me and your half brother!"

Raina stared at Morilinde with wide eyes, she had great respect for the shamans of the wood people, they had the ability to let their souls leave the body and join with the body of an animal or see what was going on elsewhere. "Yes?"

Her voice was trembling and Morilinde sighed and gathered her strength. "Can you promise me to keep a secret? This you cannot reveal to anyone, it is a secret between me and my husband and we have guarded it fiercely. But if I chose to help you it is possible that you will see things about me since you have your own powers, that is why I have to tell you now, it is the honest thing to do."

Raina could see that this was something which was very serious and she felt a bit humbled by the fact that Morilinde was willing to trust her like this. "I swear by my very fêa"

Morilinde nodded. "I believe you, then listen up, and know that I know how you feel because I too have suffered such a loss."

Raina gasped and stared at the red haired elleth with huge eyes. "You too have lost a child?"

Morilinde nodded, her eyes clouded by grief. "Yes, we haven't told anyone, because it is such a terrible story. But the truth is not what you think it is, we have told everyone that Legolas saved me from some danger and that we fell in love back in Ithilien and that it was just a normal romance. It wasn't Raina, it was a most terrible affair and I do still suffer because of it."

Raina just stared, she didn't really know what to say. "Ah, explain?"

Morilinde closed her eyes. "My tribe came to Ithilien on our way to the grey havens, we had lived in hiding for millennia, nobody knew of your existence. Our customs were very strict and different but Legolas allowed us to stay in Ithilien for a while, to learn and adapt to the presence of other elves. It was then it happened, the thing that would change my life forever."

Raina swallowed, she didn't have to be a psychic to see that this was something very painful indeed. Morilinde made a grimace. "I loved children, adored them, so I was the one who was in charge of watching over the young ones while the rest of the tribe was out hunting. Then one evening I did a mistake, I wasn't alert, I was distracted and three children managed to sneak away from our group."

Raina gasped. "They died?!"

Morilinde nodded. "They died, in a most gruesome manner, and it was my fault for not keeping an eye on them. The tribe demanded that I was punished, and I was so heart broken and filled with guilt and shame I was ready to accept it."

Raina held her breath. "Then what happened?"

Morilinde took a deep breath. "Legolas saved me, by doing something almost unthinkable. I cannot describe this custom but to my tribe I was dead from that moment on, I had lost everything, my name, my family, I wasn't existing and I never had. I was his slave, a plaything. But he loved me and he managed to heal my soul and we discovered that we were bonded, that we were meant to be together."

Morilinde sighed, pulled her legs up and Raina had to admire her remarkable agility. "Then what happened?"

The red haired elleth closed her eyes with a sad grin on her lips. "I became with child, and I was so happy. The Valar had forgiven me I was sure, too bad that others hadn't."

Raina was puzzled. "What?"

Morilinde shrugged. "To my tribe I was dead and gone, my debt paid in full. But the mother of one of the children had gone mad with grief. She disregarded the customs of our tribe and poisoned my food, I nearly died and the child died in me, I did barely make it and only because Legolas loved me so dearly. I fed of his energy to stay alive and ever since then we have shared a bond that is tighter than normal between spouses. We haven't told anyone, it still hurts too much to speak about it."

Raina felt tears filling up her eyes. "Oh gods, that is terrible. How far along were you?"

Morilinde smiled, a very sad smile. "I was just two weeks away from my due day, the baby could have survived if he hadn't been poisoned. "

Raina grasped Morilinde's hand, squeezed it tightly. "I am so sorry to hear that, it makes my problem seem almost insignificant. But I trust you, I want you to try and help me!"

Morilinde nodded and there was a soft light in her eyes, a light of tenderness and compassion. "Great, then let us sit down on the floor and I will see what the spirits will show me."

Raina took a deep breath to strengthen herself. "Yes, lets go, let's see if the spirits are willing to give me some much needed answers. "

They both sat down and Morilinde surrendered to the powers she had inherited, come what may, she would not quit until she had the answers they were seeking.


	12. Fortuna Favet Fortibus

**Chapter twelve: Fortuna Favet Fortibus**

Don't be the one who is easy to read

Be the unpredictable one

Don't be the one who is easily brought down

Be as adamant as the bones of the earth

Be as brave as a lion

Be as fierce as the dancing flames

Within your soul

Ravenne woke up feeling a bit confused, she didn't recognize her surroundings but then she remembered and grinned. She has slept very well and felt rested. Narriar was sleeping next to her, his arm thrown over her and he was mumbling in his sleep. She had to turn around and stroke his hair, he was so innocent when he slept, so relaxed. She had discovered that his race didn't sleep with their eyes open unless they were in a dangerous situation and only the sounds he made told her he was dreaming. She saw that it was lighter outside and so she shook him gently and he grunted and opened his eyes. They shone like fireflies in the darkness of the hut and she giggled at the expression in his face. He appeared to be completely in awe of her. Ravenne stretched herself and yawned, they had to get up but she really didn't want to. She wanted to stay down between the silky furs with him for the rest of the day but it wasn't possible. Narriar grunted in protest, he raised his hand and grasped her by her shoulder, pulled her down to him so she lay on top of his body. "Don't leave me Phivanil, the others can wait a little longer."

Ravenne sighed. "And if any of the warriors you sent out are returning?"

Narriar was kissing her throat, trying to caress her rear. "They'll tell us, no need to hurry"

She giggled. "Are you still that eager?"

He growled and took her hand, pushed it down towards his groin and she gasped when she realized that he was just as aroused as he had been the previous night. She had to gasp and Narriar leaned up and kissed her, he nipped her lip with his rather sharp teeth and she gasped and sat up, placed herself above him. Narriar was already breathing hard and she had to agree with Verya, there was apparently no limit to the endurance of these Ce'agar ellyn. She didn't mind having him once more although she feared that she would have a peculiar gate for a while.

Afterwards they just lay there in a slumber and Narriar was as usual extremely eager to cuddle. She liked it but it somehow made her yearn for more. She had never believed that she'd ever experience such joy and now that she had gotten the possibility she didn't want to lose a single chance. She started to caress him and he hissed and pushed his hips towards her touch, closing his eyes. Before long they were at it again and Ravenne didn't give damn if the whole village heard her scream, she just didn't care. All that mattered was that they were together, that they were one. In the end they had to leave the bed and get dressed and Ravenne was hungry and needed to pee. The light outside was soft and even though it was weak she saw rather well, she suspected that it was her rather peculiar eyes that made it possible for her to see just as well as the natives.

The rest of the group had just gotten up as well, they appeared to be a bit grumpy and Ravenne noticed that Erestor and Elrohir both were a bit pale and looked disheveled. She went over to them when she had washed herself and relieved her bladder of the pressure. Elrohir shook his head and tried to get a comb through his long black hair, he did not appear to have slept at all and Erestor was yawning like a mad. "You look like you've had a rough night?"

Elrohir sighed. "That's the understatement of the millennia. Gods, I haven't been able to close an eye!"

Erestor moaned and tried to stretch himself but flinched and groaned, rubbed his back. "First of all, there was some rocks underneath our tent, and they were rather sharp so we all have bruises everywhere! And then there was this infernal cricket or something that was making sounds the entire night and it sounded like a freaking chainsaw!"

Ravenne had to laugh at the scholars words, he always sounded as if he was suffering like nobody else ever had. Narriar laughed. "You heard a gnawbar, they are a bit like crickets yes but much larger and the sound you heard was the male sharpening its beak on rocks. They are quite loud until you learn not to notice them."

Elrohir shook his head, he sighed. "I haven't heard them before, and I have been to this world a few times."

Narriar just patted his back. "They only make that noise for a few weeks each year, in the mating season."

Erestor braided his hair and yawned once more. "Good to know, that these freaking things will keep us awake for our entire stay here!"

Narriar just grinned once more and went over to the fire pits where the ellith were preparing some breakfast. It was some sort of stew and it was delicious being served from ceramic bowls, Ravenne liked it a lot and Glorfindel impressed the female in charge for the cooking by asking for more four times. He was perhaps half a foot shorter than the ellyn of the tribe but he had appetite for two. They sat there eating when one of the runners returned, he ran straight to Narriar and kneeled in front of him. Narriar put his bowl aside and tilted his head, he was obviously worried for the runner had a grim expression upon his face. "Yes?"

The runner took a deep breath. "My chief, I have been to the gwhyym, they have been attacked!"

Narriar let out a small gasp, then he was on his feet. "How bad is it?"

The runner swallowed. "They have lost many but it isn't too bad, they will manage. The monsters probably didn't know that the gwhyym can hide underground. They only got those too slow to get into the burrows in time."

Narriar let out a sigh of relief. "Good, but I bet they are angry and bent on revenge?"

The runner grinned, the grin was a bit wicked. "Indeed they are, they are furious and they will help us in every way that they can."

Narriar growled. "Good, they are not big but they are tough."

The runner nodded. "They have sent some of their trackers out, they are trying to track the monsters back to their lair."

Narriar's eyes got narrow. "Then I hope they are careful, but if I know them well they are."

The runner cocked his head. "They came from the north, they all agreed on that and the trees and the beasts agree too. The source is up north."

Erestor put down his stew. "So did our wizards believe too, the first attacks came from just one place and when the attack on Tirion was stopped that pattern was broken."

Narriar sat with his eyes closed, he appeared to be thinking really hard. "There are many places up north of which we know naught, few have ever ventured up there. It is cold and dangerous and unknown terrain."

Glorfindel and Gwan sat there with Magon, they were polishing their swords and Magon pointed towards the north. "Why is it that your people haven't travelled up there?"

Narriar shrugged. "It is just too dangerous, we have what we need here and those who have travelled up north haven't returned."

Vayana made a grimace. "I have brought a lot of medical supplies but I seriously doubt that it will be enough if we get into real trouble. I hope you all are aware of this, if you get seriously injured I may not be able to save you."

They all just nodded and finished their food, Elrohir had brought a piece of paper and some pens and they were trying to make a sort of map of the northern areas. Most of it would be based on just rumors and old tales and Erestor stared at the finished result with a frown. "On earth they had a custom back in the old days, if they were to make a map and didn't have good information they would write here be dragons across the unknown terrain. To warn that there could be dangers there."

Ravenne just made a sneer."Then that should be written all across that map, it is useless. We will have to fill in the blank spots as we go"

Narriar just nodded and his eyes were sad, he regretted that they didn't have more information of the land up north. Glorfindel was going through the list of available weapons with Gwan and Magon, he scratched his chin staring at it. "Bearspray? Well, I guess that could do the trick, and what the heck is this?"

Magon grinned. "They go after the smell of living things yes? This is a sort of perfume, it masks our scent and makes us smell like trees or rocks and other inanimate objects."

Ravenne went over, she was curious. Gwan handed over a canister of the stuff and she sniffed it carefully. It smelled like nothing she'd ever encountered and it burned her nose. She backed away and sneezed and Gwan grinned widely. "And that is just a small piece of what we have got."

Erestor made a grim grimace. "Enough to start a goddamn war."

Glorfindel nodded. "It makes me wonder what would have happened if we have had weapons like that back when we fought Sauron?"

Ravenne shuddered and hissed. "It would have ended with disaster, believe me. These humans are so ingenious and never more so then when it comes to coming up with new and increasingly terrible ways to kill each other."

Vayana nodded, her eyes were dark. "We thought that the orc's were bad, but by the Valar, they are almost softies compared with the things we have seen back on earth. The Arda we knew is no more, cannot describe it otherwise. I sometimes ask myself if it was worth it, all the fighting we did, all the loss and pain and grief. We could have sailed and left that damned Maia to rule as he wished."

Ravenne shook her head. "Then we would have deserted everything we are and ever was."

Glorfindel nodded and his eyes were sad."Yes, we would have become what we were fighting. But this time I guess the cause sanctifies the means, we cannot allow ourselves any weakness this time."

Ravenne touched the hilt of her sword almost lovingly, she felt that she could trust in the cold steel of this blade. It would not let her down and she knew that she was the best swordfighter among them. Even Glorfindel wasn't quite as good as her and she knew why. He was trained in a time long gone by, a time when the methods and training was very different. She on the other hand had never been properly trained the way others had. She had been taught to fight in order to stay alive, not to spar or impress others. Her moves were based on making a swift kill and then move on to the next, she didn't waste any energy and any moves, she was always flowing through it all and all motions were ultimately elegant and efficient. Her father had been in awe of her skills rather early and she had to smile to herself. Those moments when he praised her were among her best memories. She just hoped that she would see her father and mother and siblings again.

After a couple of hours more of the runners returned, they were covered with sweat and panting and Narriar ordered that they should be given some of the wine they had brought with them as a reward for their effort. It did not appear that any of the other clans further south had noticed anything out of the ordinary but the runner sent for the clan of the elk hadn't returned yet and as the day went Narriar got more and more nervous and agitated. Ravenne did notice it rather well, he was restless and his eyes were never resting at anything for more than a few seconds at a time. They sat there waiting, the runners had explained that all the clans would send warriors up to them if it was needed. Narriar wasn't so sure about this, a small group was the safe option but it could be that they would need someone to create a distraction.

Ravenne knew that Narriar didn't want to risk the lives of any of his people and she respected this but it could be that they indeed would need more people than just their small group. Some hunters returned with a huge boar like animal hanging from a pole they carried between them and Narriar grinned. "That's great, we'll have meat for a couple of days now."

Ravenne watched as they skinned and slaughtered the animal, they never let anything go to waste and even the sinews and the bladder was kept for later use. These people knew what to do with everything they found in their environment and it made her genuinely impressed. An ellon with long twisted braids came and claimed some of the bones of the animals and Narriar told her that he would carve them into beautiful small figurines and parts for their bows. She had noticed that the Ce'agar were a bit artistic and she saw that several of the females wore face paint or painted patterns along their arms and legs.

The meat was being rubbed with herbs and packed into some huge leaves and then it was buried in the ashes of the bonfires. It would cook slowly and Ravenne had to grin, they did really know how to make tasty food and she remembered how she had survived in the woods alone in her more feral life. She ate raw meat and blood and some berries and that had been all. She did really prefer this kind of food. The children were running around as usual and she saw that the older looked after the young ones. They were playing different games or sitting with their parents and she had to smile, even when they did things they weren't supposed to do they weren't scolded, they were ignored if they misbehaved and she was stunned by how well behaved they all were. Some girls came over staring at her hair and one of them was staring with starry eyes, she said something and Narriar sent the girl a very sweet smile and rubbed her head gently. "Ravenne, she is asking if you will allow her to braid your hair?"

Ravenne felt a bit shocked by the bold request but she realized how unusual her white hair was to this darkhaired people. She sat down and nodded and the girl grinned widely and pulled a small bone comb out of her pocket. Ravenne smiled to Narriar who smiled back but she could see a deep longing in his eyes, she knew for what he was longing. She sighed and the girl started to very gently comb through Ravennes long white locks and she was glad she hadn't let her hair grow as long as her mother had. Nireariels hair was five feet longer than she was and it was admired throughout the entire kingdom. Ravennes reached her hips but she hadn't allowed it to get any longer than that, it would be in the way in a fight otherwise. The little girl was obviously stunned by how thin the strands of hair were and how silky they were and Ravenne smiled at her. It felt good being groomed and the girl giggled and continued her work. Narriar grinned. "Her name is Nimine, it means butterfly."

Ravenne patted the child on the back. "That is a very beautiful name."

Narriar translated and Nimine giggled and continued doing her job, before long Ravenne's long white hair had been braided into warriorbraids. Narriar had to grin at the sight, the girl took the task very seriously and she was beaming with pride. Ravenne thanked her profusely and the girl ran back to her mother giggling. Narriar pulled at one of her braids teasingly. "It suits you phivanil."

She just smiled and the group was gathering around the fire to discuss the route they should take. Narriar was quite determined that they should follow the river which came down from the northern plains, it could provide some extra security. Glorfindel agreed and so it was settled, Gwan and Magon felt that it was a wise decision and the rest just nodded. They were about to decide who was to carry what when the last runner stumbled into the camp, he was obviously extremely affected by something and he fell onto his knees before he even reached Narriar. Nariar and some other ellyn were at his side right away and helped the gasping warrior to his feet, he was pale and his eyes black and blurred. Ravenne just knew it, he had seen something nobody should have had to see. Narriar shook the warrior gently and someone poured a bowl of water over his head. He spurted and gasped and blinked. "What has happened?"

Narriars voice was hoarse and the runner took a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "I reached the main camp of the elk clan but I was too late. "

Narriar stared at him. "What do you mean by that, too late?"

The runner was barely able to stand up, he was still heaving for air and shivering. "The monsters had been there, there was nothing left, nothing!"

Ravenne felt like the world had dropped away from underneath her , she closed her eyes and heard the moans from the others. Some of the elves off Narriar's clan started to cry and others just stared at them with wide eyes. "They were dead, everybody was dead. I didn't find anyone alive. I ran over to the next camp and told them to send some up there to bury the remains and send for the rest of the clans. They deserve to know."

Narriar patted his back and his eyes were dark. "Good job Arbhiar, go rest now. You have outdone yourself."

Ravenne sighed. "What now?!"

Narriar growled and his eyes were still dark, she realized that she never had seen what he truly was capable of, she hadn't seen him fight and she had never seen him truly angry. "We march tomorrow morning, tonight we sing for the dead and mourn them. Tomorrow we move!"

Ravenne swallowed and felt a taste of bile in her mouth, they had to make it, they had to find the hive and destroy it and she already knew that it would be very difficult but they could not hesitate. For the sake of all three worlds, they could not wait any longer. The camp became very silent and some started to gather firewood and food. Narriar sat down on a log and his eyes were distant. "I knew them, I knew them all. I just can't wrap my head around that fact that they all are gone. It is…too horrible!"

Ravenne put her arms around him and he leaned his chin on top of her head. "How many are we talking about`"

Narriar sighed and swallowed, she could see tears welling up in his eyes. "At least a hundred and fifty persons, maybe more. I haven't been there for a while and I knew that there were several babies on the way."

Ravenne just shook her head, the idea of even infants being killed made her cringe and he put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "They will pay for this, by everything sacred they will pay. I will make sure that they do."

Ravenne just stood there, listening to his heart beating fast and heavily. "I know you will, we all will make them pay."

Raina and Morilinde was sitting on the floor and the small elleth was falling into a sort of trance, she was apparently not there but her soul was able to see more than ever before. She was touching Raina very gently but Ravenne's sister could feel the touch very well, as if she touched everything, all that she was. Morilinde was sweating as she slowly gathered more information about Raina's problem and why she always miscarried. It took a lot of her strength but she persisted and let her powers flow through Raina's body even if it hurt her. After a while she had seen all that she could and she pulled her fêa back into her body. She rolled her eyes and shivered, she felt cold and weak and it wasn't comfortable at all.

Raina stared at her with huge eyes and Morlilinde took a deep breath and grabbed a cup of wine she had standing ready next to her. She downed it all in one sip and shook her head. "Raina, I am not quite sure of what it was that I saw but for goodness sake elleth, don't try again!"

Raina gasped. "What? Why? Will I never have children, is that what you are trying to tell me?"

Morilinde grasped her and shook her gently. "No, not at all. You are going to have children Raina, I saw many children in your future, but the first one has to wait. The time isn't right!"

Raina frowned. "What are you talking about?!"

Morilinde gasped and shook her head. "Oh Valar, what I saw! Raina, your firstborn will be born with tremendous powers, but there has to be another one like that soul around when that baby is born. Or else the powers will consume him or her, the other person is there to keep your child in balance. Do you understand? Until that person gets here you cannot have any children, the reason why you have lost all those pregnancies are that they all were the same soul trying to be born and each time the power growing inside of the fetus got too strong and killed it."

Raina gasped. "You have got to be kidding me? I have to wait until this person gets here before I can have children, who is it?!"

Morilinde bit her lower lip. "I am not sure but he or she is not yet born neither, and I think that it is a close relative. But without the power that soul contains your child won't make it, they will balance each other out, like cold and heat, ice and fire."

Raina took a deep breath. "You are scaring me, what am I to do? Just wait?"

Morilinde shrugged. "Yes, that is all you can do. Don't try until the time is right, you will know it. Until then, gather your strength and get well again, be just a wife for a while, make sure that your husband is happy and content and just be yourself. You can do it, I am sure."

Raina just sighed. "When you say it, ok."

Morilinde sighed and rubbed her temples, she felt exhausted and she knew that Legolas would have been pissed off if he had been there and seen her doing this. He was always so protective of her, but she had gotten used to it. A servant came running, she looked a bit nervous. "My lady, it is getting dark again, your mother wants you in the hall once more."

Raina closed her eyes, tried to find the peace and strength within to fight one more night. She nodded. "Tell my mother I'll be there soon."

She hugged Morilinde. "Thank you, now I at least know, and I can wait knowing it will be alright in the end. I won't tell anyone of this, I swear."

Morilinde smiled and returned the hug. "That is great my dear, fight well tonight."

Raina nodded and there was a spark in her eyes again, it had been gone for years. "Be sure, those monsters will regret they tried to take on our home"

Nireariel was waiting in the hall with Astarion and she frowned and stared at Raina, she had looked like an extinguished candle for a long time but now she had some sort of inner light and Nireariel was for a moment afraid that she could be pregnant again but it was too early for that. Something had obviously happened for Raina looked ready for a real fight and she had an expression of sheer determination within her eyes that was completely new. Nireariel was going to ask her daughter about it but not now, they needed their concentration now and she nodded to her children and prepared herself for another night of sheer madness.

The convoy out of Tirion was making good progress, they rode hard and left the horses that were completely exhausted. There were some herds of wild horses in the woods and Thranduil had managed to call them to him, they allowed the elves to ride them and so they managed to keep the speed up. They had lost yet another wounded elf and it had been a child, that made the loss even worse to bare and Thranduil just prayed that they would get through the night alive. Darkness was falling once more and they still had a long way to go. The forest felt even more alive now and he could hear the trees speaking, their voices were angry, and their spirits seemed to have merged. It made the air heavy and Thranduil knew that the forest was a dangerous place now, those not welcome should be aware.

He had switched from his bay stallion to a tall black mare and rode the horse without tack, he could feel that the animal was a bit nervous and he knew why to. There was a strange scent underneath the trees and the trees were moaning and creaking. Oropher was riding a small brown horse and he was guarding the flank of the group, he nodded. "Beware, I think there are monsters here and they are close, listen to the trees, they are really angry."

Legolas was in front and he turned his horse abruptly. "Ada? Are you hearing that too?"

Thranduil listened, up ahead they could hear some strange sounds and he nodded. "Yes, we ride ahead and check it out."

He signaled for the rest of the warriors to fall behind and urged the mare forward. Oropher and Vegylion followed and they came out of the thick wood and onto a rather large open meadow. What they saw made Thranduil want to rub his eyes in disbelief. "By the Valar!"

Legolas stared and his mouth hang open for a while until he realized that he looked very stupid indeed. What they saw had been a group of monsters and these were even worse than the ones they had encountered before. They were bigger and their skin looked armored like the plates on a rhino, they had very few weak spots and Thranduil knew that these were warriors. But it had not saved them from the wrath of the forest, the trees had grasped them, pulled them apart, choked them and crushed them. What they saw was a huge pile of stinking body parts and green goo covered the ground in a thick layer. Thranduil's horse neighed and stomped and the king took a look around, he could not believe it. It had to have been at least fifty monsters but they were all dead. He felt like laughing, a rather hysterical laughter. "Behold, the forest is protecting us, it is on our side."

Oropher was staring with wide eyes and he was pale. "Yes, it is, it is awake but who woke it up?"

Thranduil turned his horse. "I don't know and I don't care, all I care about is the fact that we from now on can ride as hard as we can. The forest itself will clear the way for us."

He waved his hand at the soldiers and they spurred their horses once more. He saw that the group rode hard before he made the mare gallop next to Celeborn's grey gelding, the horse was strong and fast and Thranduil knew that it had to be as it was carrying two persons. Galadriel lay against her husband's chest and she was deathly pale. Celeborn looked like a ghost, he was obviously very weak and Thranduil feared for him. "Let me know if you need someone to ride with you, someone else can carry your wife"

Celeborn shook his head, his bright blond hair looked like straw and his eyes were sunken, it was not a good sign at all. "No, I will stay with her, to the very end."

Thranduil sighed. "You are killing yourself, you are aware of this?"

Celeborn nodded. "Yes, but we have lived together for millennia, we will end it together if that's how it's gonna be."

Thranduil could just sigh, he understood Celeborn too darn well. "Very well, but don't allow yourself to be so weak you both fall from the horse. At this speed it will kill you both!"

Celeborn just nodded. "I am not worried about that, this horse has never let anyone fall."

Thranduil smiled and spurred the mare again, he rode to the front of the group, found the right paths.

The forest was dark but the starlight was enough for them, they did see rather well and they knew these forest paths. The horses also knew the terrain and the speed was terrifying. Legolas had placed a young ellon in the saddle in front of him, the elf had been able to ride alone until now but he had gotten too weak to cling onto the horse any longer. He needed someone to hold him. Thranduil shouted to the riders. "We do not stop now, not until we reach the palace!"

They pushed the animals and the forest seemed to guide them, paths opened up and they crossed brooks and rivers that were suddenly running much slower than usual. Here and there they encountered what was left of more monsters but they did not meet any living ones and they could hear screams and roars as the forest dealt with the intruders. Thranduil was grinning but he felt a terrible need to ride even faster, he had to see if Nireariel and the others were ok.

At the palace the same thing happened as last night, only that this time it was almost only warriors and they were even more determined than before. Nireariel felt that they were desperate, that they needed the meat that was on the inside of this fortress. Their queen demanded it and they could not fail her. Again the trees and vines and bushes fought for them and they contained so much magic now that the three of them almost could let the defenses do it by themselves. Nireariel felt a bit weird though, she felt stronger than before, more in control. It could be that she had gotten the hang of it but somehow she doubted that this was the reason. She discovered that she could feel so much more of the forest than before, that her inner vision stretched out for miles and she hadn't had that kind of powers earlier. Was she getting stronger? Were her powers expanding? It was hard to tell but she used it for all it was worth and she made sure that no reinforcements could reach the monsters by the palace. Those who had arrived were quickly taken care of and she felt a surge of relief rush through her. They had fought for just a couple of hours and now there were no enemies left within this area. She searched outwards once more, let her spirit drift through the woods and suddenly she felt a familiar presence. She opened her eyes in shock and she almost screamed. Raina and Astarion stared at her and Nireariel had to sit down. "It is Thranduil, he is heading this way and he will be here by noon, he is guarding a huge group of wounded elves out of Tirion, we have to help them!"

She shouted for Poicano and the healer came running, rather confused. "Gather all the healers and those who are trained to take care of the wounded. Clear out several rooms in the basement and prepare. We will need bandages, medicine and clean instruments!"

Poicano nodded but he looked worried. "Yes my lady, we will be ready but sit down and rest until then, you are pale and look weak."

Nireariel frowned. "That is odd, I feel well, in fact I feel very strong. But yes, I will rest. Please make someone send some hot food to my chambers and some tea too. I feel famished."

Poicano grinned. "Of course, I will see to it. You have used a lot of strength lately my lady, no wonder you are hungry."

She turned to Astarion and Raina. "Go rest, I will need you when your father returns, there are many with him in need of help, I sensed it."

Raina looked puzzled. "You said they would be here by noon? Then they are a long way from here yet, you haven't been able to feel someone from that distance before?"

Nireariel shrugged. "No, it is weird but I could feel him rather well, and I feel so much stronger. I guess it is the training I have gotten these past days, I am more in touch with my powers now."

Raina grinned. "That is good Naneth, we'll see you soon."

They went for their chambers and Nireariel had her maid comb her hair and fix her braids, she looked terrible and she had to agree with Raina and the others, she didn't look strong at all. She got the food and found that her appetite was rather ferocious, she finished the meal in record time before she drank some tea and went to bed to rest. She didn't really want to sleep but sleep claimed her still and she was out completely for hours. She didn't even dream but she had a strange sensation of not being alone the whole time. It was as if there was someone there with her but she was alone in her rooms. She woke up rather abruptly and felt tired, sick even. She felt like she had to puke and so she grasped a bucket and held it there just to be on the safe side. Why was she feeling like this? She had eaten a lot and she had eaten fast too so it was no wonder why her stomach was upset but that wasn't all. The presence still lingered and Nireariel was confused and a bit frightened. She could perhaps have used too much of her own energy and that could spell trouble, it was rather dangerous. She suddenly threw up but she only had bile in her stomach and it made her cringe and want to call out for her maid. She grasped her belly and then it struck her, she had felt like that before.

She just stared into nothing, no, it could not possibly be? She felt her heart speed up, her hands were shivering. She tried to tell herself that it was impossible but deep within she knew that she would be lying to herself if she tried to stick to that conviction. She closed her eyes, relaxed and allowed her fêa to open up, flow through her surroundings and through her hroa like a gentle wave towards a shore. And there it was, the presence, strong and bright and filled with power. She placed her hand on her belly, tears were starting to flow from her eyes. "Oh Valar be merciful, what have we done?!"

She tried to stay calm but could not, the last time she got pregnant she had almost died and now this, the baby was carrying her powers already, its soul had reached out and strengthened her, allowed her to become so much stronger than before. She gasped and could feel that tiny light, that speck of life within her and she curled up on the bed weeping like a child. Thranduil would be terrified when she told him, and he did not need that kind of worries now. But she could not hide it from him, that was unthinkable. She had to tell him that she was with child once more and she could just pray that this would end well. She bit her lower lip, the powers within this child were something she never had encountered before and she was deathly afraid, she grasped onto the sheets with trembling hands, tried not to scream in anguish and fear. She remembered her last birthing, how it had ended. She had been so sure that she had become sterile after that terrible ordeal, that it had damaged her too much. She had to smile in spite of her despair, her husband was strong, his seed was strong too. She should have taken precautions, there were herbs females could use to make sure that they wouldn't conceive but usually both the male and the female had to allow their faer to merge for a conception to happen. Perhaps this was something that was meant to be, written onto the fabric of destiny itself. In that case there was nothing she could do but hope and pray that she would survive this. She sobbed and suddenly she felt surrounded by a strange warmth, a gentle friendly and very loving light filled her soul and she felt better, a lot better. Somehow it would be ok, she knew that now. That tiny life growing in her told her so and she believed it. This child would not cause her death, it would protect her.

She laid back on the pillows, still caressing her belly. "Oh Thran, wait until you hear about this. I bet you will be surprised like never before."

Ravenne was impatient, she would have wanted to leave there and then but she knew that the Ce'agar had strong traditions, they had to be followed. The tribe had gathered around the fire now, they ate and sang and some had started to dance around while they called out the names of those relatives and friends they had lost. Narriar and the rest of the ellyn had covered themselves with paint again and they danced around in a slow heavy rhythm. Narriar was leading the dance and Ravenne felt a strange urge to get up and join them. Before she was really aware of it she had gotten onto her feet and she was joining the Ce'agar. She felt like it was the right thing to do, the only thing to do. She lost herself in the rhythm and the song, the flow of life surging through them all and she could almost see those who had died. Suddenly she noticed that the number of dancers were increasing, groups of ellyn came out of the woods and without further introductions they started to dance too. She realized that the other clans had sent some ellyn to join the mission, that the clans would stand as one in this. They were probably the best fighters they had and she did see the differences in clothing and hair. They had different tattoos and the patterns on their clothing were different too. Ravenne saw that they all had painted themselves and carried weapons, the members of the clan of the elk had covered their entire upper bodies with black warpaint, they had left a thin line across their face below their eyes and it looked rather menacing. She could also see that many of them had cut away much of their long hair, obviously a way to show grief.

She danced around the fire with the warriors for a long time, the rest of the group had joined too with the exception of Vayana who remained sitting down with the females. The light and the movements created a sort of trance within her, she felt alive like few times before and her movements were graceful and flowing like those of a huge cat. The ellyn of the other tribes threw admiring glances at her, Narriar somehow made it very clear that she was unavailable and he often danced near her. The night was very clear and the stars were an amazing sight, It felt as if she could reach out and touch them and as the fire died down she found herself dancing with Narriar outside of the crowd. He suddenly grasped her, lifted her and carried her with him to his hut, she held onto him and knew what he needed now. She did understand him very well, because she felt the same way.

She woke up to the sound of a terrible racket outside, someone was shouting something and there were the sound of running feet. She freed herself from the furs and Narriars arms and he was on his feet too within the blink of an eye. She pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt and ran outside, she heard a child scream in agony and a female was shouting something very loudly. She saw a group of elves gathering by one of the huts and Vayana was there. She saw what had to be healers and she ran to the group with Narriar right behind her. He was only wearing a loincloth but nobody cared about that fact. Ravenne moaned, on the ground in front of the hut lay one of the small girls Narriar had carried during the funeral of Hithiar, she was convulsing violently and Ravenne felt the taste of bile in her mouth when she saw that the girls left hand was transformed to a mass of something that looked like rotten jelly. Vayana was working fast, she had apparently managed to get the trust of the healers because she quickly tied a tourniquet around the child's upper arm before she just grasped a sword someone had left there and simply amputated the arm with a single blow. The girl screamed like crazy but Vayana injected her with something and Ravenne caught her glance. "Painkillers and antibiotics. She may make it."

Narriar was staring at the scene with wild eyes. "What happened?"

The female that had to be the girl's mother was crying. "I went to the woods to pick some berries for breakfast and she followed me even though I had told her to wait. She touched a Rhatiir plant, and got the juice of it onto her hand."

Narriar was cursing and Vayana gave the child even more injections. Ravenne stared at the severed limb, it was decomposing as they watched it and she suddenly turned towards Narriar. "Is the juice of this plant able to eat its way through everything?"

Narriar shook his head. "No, only biological material. Why?"

She had a wicked grin on her face and her eyes were shining. "Because it can be used as a weapon!"

She turned to Vayana. "Have you brought something we could use to store the juice in, something solid and yet soft enough to rupture on impact?"

Vayana looked very confused. "I have brought some packets of condoms, they are excellent if you want to wrap something that shouldn't get wet. I use it to keep my matches dry."

Ravenne giggled. "Wonderful. Get some to gather as much of that juice as they can and be careful. We need to make some small nasty surprises for the monsters."

Narriar had immediately understood the idea. He grinned. "We'll use some ceramic bowls, it will be perfect."

Ravenne patted his back. "Great, get to it. We need to leave soon."

Narriar sent some of his men out into the woods with bowls and equipment and after a while they returned with several gallons of the dangerous fluid. Gwan and Magon prepared the unusual weapon with care and when they were finished they had about twenty small balloons ready to be thrown. Vayana was busy tending to the injured child, it looked as if she would make it but she would forever be lacking an arm and she would face a rather hard life. Ravenne did pity her but she would live, sometimes that is much better than the alternative. The expedition was preparing for departure. They distributed the weapons and equipment and Narriar picked out the warriors who were to follow them. He chose the best, the most experienced ones. At the end they ended up with twenty two of the best the clan's had gathered. The rest would stay to protect the camp if anything went wrong and Ravenne felt a strange sensation of eagerness. She wanted to get started, to see for herself if there really was a way for them to end this nightmare.

Vayana gave the tribe healers detailed instructions on how to treat the wounded girl and then she got ready too, Ravenne could see that the healer was nervous and perhaps that wasn't such a weird thing, she'd probably never experienced anything like this before.

They left without saying much, the clan had gathered to watch them go but nobody spoke, Narriar had chosen one of the older warriors to look after the tribe while he was away and the ellon would become the new chief if Narriar didn't return. Ravenne had seen him give the other warrior strict orders, if they didn't succeed Faidhiar was to take the tribe south, as far as they could come. Ravenne could just pray that it didn't come to that.

Narriar found a different path now than when they went looking for the old elleth, it was not much used and it followed the river. Ravenne could see that this was a very large river and it was freezing cold. The current was strong and it had a lot of waterfalls and rapids. The terrain was very rugged and difficult and yet in a strange way very beautiful. She found herself dumbstruck by the natural wonders she witnessed there.

After some hours they got closer to a mountain pass and they sat down to rest. Narriar spoke with the rest of the warriors, he kept his voice low and she could see the seriousness in his eyes. Some of the ellyn were sent out to scout ahead and he went over and sat down by her side. Ravenne touched his cheek lovingly and he kissed her hand and smiled. "Are you ok? We are not travelling too fast?"

Ravenne shook her head. "No, I am used to this tempo, I was a feral elf for years, to me the wilderness is a home."

He nodded and leaned his head against her shoulder, rested. "I know, I saw that in you from the start. Do you think we stand a chance?"

Ravenne shrugged. "I do think so yes, they say that fortune favors the bold, and we are rather bold I think, to try and do something like this."

He sighed. "Yes, or stupid. Well, desperate is the best word to describe us, we have no choice. Those creatures may start the end of this world if they aren't stopped."

She could only nod and enjoy this brief moment of peace and closeness.

Glorfindel caught Narriar's attention. "So, what's on the other side of that pass?"

Narriar tilted his head. "More mountains, and some deep valleys and then a plain of some sort. Nobody has ever been that far but I saw it from a huge distance when I and Hitiar…when it happened."

Glorfindel had a grimace on his face. "Then we'd better start looking out for monsters soon, they could be in this area."

Narriar just grinned. "Yes, but I don't think they will gather in huge groups here, not much food to be found. There is a tribe of Gwhyym living up ahead, we will contact them and see if they have some information to offer."

Glorfindel nodded. "Ok, that would be nice, and I have never encountered that race before, it will be interesting."

Narriar just grinned. "Oh, they aren't really that entertaining, they are ugly and stink and they steal so watch your stuff. But they can be very useful since they are so darn stubborn and they are unafraid when angry. I once saw a gwhyym attack a huge bishrak with only a thin branch. Of course he got trampled but the courage!"

Glorfindel grinned and shook his head in disbelief. "The dwarves back on old Arda were stubborn too, and strong. I sometimes wonder what happened to them after we left, they were mortal and I fear that they are extinct by now. I have never heard the mortal speak of them as other than legends."

Ravenne had a somewhat sad expression within her eyes. "They are gone, they disappeared millennia ago, as did the goblins and the remaining orcs. Well, I am not too sure about the orcs though, I think they may still be around but they look far better and are known as politicians. Better on the outside but still rotten on the inside!"

Glorfindel had to laugh and Vayana made a grimace. "I bet you are right about that elleth, wise words for sure"

Narriar got on his feet. "We'd better move on, we won't get anywhere sitting here"

The group started walking again and the terrain got steeper. The pass was rather narrow and rocky and it was also very dark. Narriar turned around, gave them all a strict glance. "Be careful where you put your hands, there could be all sorts of poisonous critters here"

Ravenne hissed and pulled on the gloves which followed the armor, they were rather tight but well-fitting and comfortable but she had never truly liked wearing gloves. The others did the same thing just to be sure and she was glad they had these suits. They would protect them just as well as a mithril armor and it was far more flexible. Gwan smiled at her and petted the breast plate of his suit. "Hopefully we won't have to test the limits of these armors, but it is good to know that we have them."

Ravenne just nodded, she stared at the mountainsides and felt a bit small. She had no idea of where they were going or what they would have to face in the end and she should have felt more scared than she was. But she had a strange feeling of self-confidence, of trust. They were many and they were well armed and experienced, they should at least have a decent chance. Narriar kept walking, he spoke with the scouts as they returned and everything seemed to be fine. Nobody saw any signs of the monsters but then one of the scouts returned and he was a bit pale. Narriar spoke with him and the ellon pointed towards a place up ahead. Narriar turned around. "The gwhyym tribe has been attacked. We'd better hurry before the tracks disappear."

Ravenne had an idea of what she soon would see and she swallowed and tried to become as cold as she could, she would not get sick or anything in front of all of these strong and famous elves. She could see that Elrohir was a bit pale and Erestor was writing something down in a small notebook, he looked indifferent but she suspected that it was due to his age and long experience in hiding his true emotions.

They walked up through a very narrow canyon strewn with boulders and then they entered a small oasis in this desert of stone. It was a round little valley covered with dense low forest and bushes and some strange huts were erected in the middle of a clearing. Tunnels disappeared into the rocks here and there and Ravenne didn't really see any details until she got close to the place, then she saw and knew that she was wrong, she would not be able to remain cool. It was just too terrible. Narriar growled. "They are way too close for comfort now, see if you can find the tracks anyone"

Ravenne was about to take a round around the place when she noticed movement, she spun around with her sword drawn and found herself staring at a creature that looked like something out of a horrormovie. She just gasped and the gwhyym made hissing sound and said something that sounded like a lot of clicking and hissing sounds more than a real language. Narriar came running, he bowed down and the gwhyym bowed its head and said something loud. Suddenly there were at least thirty gwhyym standing there, they had probably been hiding underground and they were pissed off, everybody could see that. Ravenne could just look at the bizarre creatures and wonder how in the world something that ugly even existed.


	13. Monsters and mayhem

**Chapter thirteen: Monsters and mayhem**

The only true monster

Is fear itself

The only true death

Is the death of the mind

The only true loss

Is the loss of hope

The morning light was slowly creeping up over the forest, warm and bright and the monsters that remained tried to flee the burning rays but the forest was almost completely alive now. The trees would have nothing of it and none of them escaped with their lives. They were all pulled apart and a thick layer of blood and tissue and gore covered the ground. As soon as the monsters were gone they opened the doors again, prepared to receive the convoy. Poicano was running around shouting orders and the healers were ready. Nireariel had been resting well and she felt strong but she also had this strange feeling of mixed joy and fear. She had no idea of how he would react to the news she had to give him. They prepared beds and got the medicine ready and then they just waited. The kitchen was busy preparing food and some ran around gathering blankets and sheets for the beds, it was a near chaos but it served its purpose, nobody had time to think about the monsters and the terrible sight of the once so pristine garden outside of the castle.

Nireariel managed to hide her emotions to her family and friends, she was really so busy it became easy. Not even Meldariel suspected anything and Nireariel did notice that her mother in law seemed a bit distraught and sad, why she had no idea but she reckoned that she would be told soon enough. Meldariel was incapable of keeping secrets. Raina and Astarion were resting and Nireariel knew that she would need their help if there were many severely wounded elves coming in. She felt strong but to heal many she needed a lot more power than her own. They ate and waited and Astar came walking, he and some of the guards had checked the perimeter and the palace was structurally sound. The enemy would not manage to destroy anything and it was a good report to be given. Nireariel had feared the strength of these beasts but it wasn't great enough to get through the solid rock no matter how hard they were trying.

As the sun reached zenith they heard the first hooves thundering up along the path towards the palace and everybody got ready. The riders appeared out of the wood and they stopped and stared in disbelief at the grotesque sight. The hill was covered with vines and vicious looking thorn bushes and the ground was a sea of body parts. The horses whinnied and tried to protest but the riders forced them through the once so beautiful garden and up to the entrance. Nireariel stood there with her heart thundering in her chest, she felt very nervous and her eyes were constantly searching for her beloved. When she saw him she could not help it, she let out a small shriek of relief and he saw her and jumped off his horse with fleeting almost weightless elegance. Before she knew it she was almost crushed in a tight hug and he whispered to her, incoherent words of endearment. She took in his scent and she could have cried with joy knowing that he was there again, that he was safe and sound.

Thranduil kissed her brow and she could feel that he shivered ever so slightly. "Meleth, I am so glad we are together again, but the wounded has to have first priority, you have got to help them."

She nodded and kissed him back. "Of course my love, I will do whatever I can."

The healers and the guards started carrying the wounded elves into the palace and suddenly Nireariel had more than enough to do. She and Poicano did some triage and divided them into the ones who needed immediate care and those who could wait and Galadriel was the one in the worst condition. Nireariel could barely feel any life left in her and Celeborn wasn't able to carry her any more, he had given her so much of his own light he was practically fading and Poicano and two guards had to physically restrain him and pour some liquids into him and it contained a heavy dose of sleeping concoctions. Nireariel was terrified of Galadriel's state, she was virtually teetering on the edge and there was no time to loose. She got Raina and Astarion to join her and then they all sang. They had gathered the wounded elves in one room so that they all would benefit from the song and Nireariel allowed the trance to overtake her while she slowly opened up to the power resting within her. Galadriel and the others were covered with a strange blue light now, they were all glowing and Poicano could only stand there, staring at the miracle.

Nireariel was struggling, it was draining her power like nothing ever had but she could not quit. Astarion and Raina were giving her extra strength and they could see that the light returned to those who were dying.

After a long time Nireariel broke out of the trance, she had nothing left to give and she felt how she was swaying in the chair, she was dizzy and light headed and Poicano shook his head in disbelief. "They will make it, even Galadriel. You have done the impossible my lady."

Nireariel just managed to produce a very faint smile before she almost passed out from sheer fatigue. Suddenly strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her, she just grunted and allowed him to lift her and carry her off to their private chambers. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoyed the contact. He placed her on the bed very gently and a servant brought a cup of hot tea and some food. She felt famished once more and ate with shivering hands. She noticed how tired he looked and he smiled at her and pulled his outer clothes off with stiff and almost mechanical movements. "It was hell Nir, I cannot describe it otherwise. And it still is hell out there, I fear that ada may have been right, that this is the end."

Nireariel sighed and pulled the blankets aside, slid underneath them. "Come, rest with me, you need that now."

He just nodded, got of the rest of his clothing and lay down next to her, pulled her into his arms and relaxed. "I am glad to see that you have managed to keep everybody safe, the palace is strong enough to keep the beasts out"

Nireariel just nodded, let her head rest on his shoulder. He kissed her gently and sighed, she could feel how his body prepared for sleep and she knew that he needed it now but she had to tell him. She gathered her courage and swallowed. "Meleth, there is one thing I need to tell you."

He just mumbled. "Go on"

She turned her face towards him. "Remember the last nights before you left?"

He looked puzzled. "Yes? I hope I wasn't too vigorous? I didn't hurt you?"

She could hear concern in his voice and she had to grin. "You would never hurt me, not like that anyhow, but the truth is, there is hurt to come, lots of it! And joy too I hope"

He didn't understand at all and she sighed and took his hand, placed it on her belly. His eyes widened as he too sensed that spark of light and life that was a freshly created elven spirit. "Oh valar!"

She nodded. "Yes, I thought so too when I found out."

He grasped her, trembling and she could see the fear in his eyes. "Nir, what have I done to you? We didn't think it was possible for you to conceive once more?!"

She nodded and hid her face against his neck. "Obviously we were wrong, but fear not my light, I somehow know that it will end well. This child has inherited my powers, it is already protecting me."

He gasped and she could see tears forming in his eyes. "Nir, when this baby is born, swear to me that you will start taking those herbs you once spoke of, my heart cannot take any more shocks of this kind!"

She had to laugh. "I will, I swear I will. Neither can mine. But you are glad?"

He nodded, kissed her. "How can I not be glad? If only these monsters were dead and gone I would be singing with joy!"

She smiled and allowed herself to fall to rest again, he caressed her gently and kissed her hair. "Then I know that it is at least some hope left in this world, some light in this darkness."

She closed her eyes. "Yes there is, and now my dearest, let's get some sleep before those monsters return once more. "

They both fell asleep almost instantaneous, tired and scared as they had been. Poicano checked in on them after a few hours, the healers were busy still but they would not loose anyone, the elves they had brought with them would be fine. Now the monsters were the only problem. They had let the horses go and sealed the doors once more but now the place was overcrowded. The elves who stayed out in the forest had sent a runner during the day, they were alright so some of the healthy and strong left the palace to spend the nights in the trees. It was the only way to solve the problem and they could just hope that the monsters didn't change tactics and started chasing the tree dwellers. Oropher and Legolas had met their wives again and were sleeping and the rest of the elves prepared for yet another night of attacks.

Ravenne had really problems looking at the gwhyym without cringing, they were beyond ugly! She had no idea that something like that existed and now the place was crawling with the small nasty critters. The scouts the gwhyym had sent out had found the group and they were all screaming out loud trying to be heard. It was a racket of another world and Narriar snarled and raised his hand, shouting something. The gwhyym shut up instantly, all of them. It was obvious that they had a great deal of respect for the Ce'agar. Narriar was kneeling down and Ravenne had to grin, the gwhyym didn't reach his knees! She stared at the peculiar faces, they looked a little like rats, but with extremely wrinkled skin and their eyes were extremely small and their mouths wide and filled with teeth that would have made a dentist faint. The heads were covered with short rough and very thin hair growth, everybody was the same color, light sand colored and the females were hard to separate from the males, the only difference was that the females had breasts and wore a lot of rather flashy and strange jewelry. Ravenne wished that she could place some perfume underneath her nose, they did indeed stink, really bad! The skin was shiny and fatty and she presumed that it was the source of the stink. The ears of the things were extremely long and soft like bunny ears and they reached their shoulders. She saw that the females had pierced them, some had half a jewelers shop hanging from the pieces of soft tissue. It had to be rather uncomfortable. Their arms were rather long and thin with only four fingers and their legs stocky and short, they did also have a tail that indeed looked a lot like that of a rat, Vayana was obviously beside herself with disgust. The creatures were covered with rather well made clothes made from leather and natural fibers and it revealed that they really were rather intelligent in spite of their appearance.

Narriar got back up, he had spoken to the leader of the gwhyym scouts and he made a grimace and nodded at the others. "They have tracked the attackers, they are the same who came to this place, a huge group, at least fifty."

Glorfindel nodded. "Did they see where they were heading?"

Narriar sighed and nodded, he stared at the group of rather excited Gwhyym. "Yes, north. But they have managed to determine that they are heading north east, not straight north. That makes me a bit worried."

Ravenne frowned. "Why?"

Narriar shrugged. "There is an old story I heard as a child, there was some sort of natural disaster ages ago, some dared to climb one of the tallest mountains and they saw that the skies to the north east were glowing red. Like some huge fire was burning."

Ravenne shook her head, she tried to not think about the familiarity of that description. Were they indeed heading for the Lithui version of Mordor?

Erestor seemed to have the same idea, he was a bit pale and Elrohir was fidgeting with his sword with a very nervous expression upon his face. Gwan and Magon looked just as calm as usual and Vayana was pale. Ravenne sighed. "I think we are somehow helping history repeat itself, only that this time it is far worse than back when Frodo brought that darn ring to Orodruin."

Glorfindel sent her a wry grin. "But I bet there won't be any giant eagles carrying us back to safety afterwards."

Ravenne had to smile but she saw that Narriar didn't quite understand it. She had to explain everything to him some day. It was obvious that the gwhyym intended to follow them and Ravenne had her doubts, could these small creatures really keep up? Before long the path was filled with tiny creatures in armor and they all carried very good weapons. The one who had to be the leader gave Narriar two beautiful long knives or rather short swords and he thanked the tiny guy with obviously joy. Ravenne had to take a closer look at the two blades. They had obviously been made for Narriar and they were just perfect. She could hardly believe that these ugly things could create something that lovely. Narriar smiled. "They just have this gift, they can shape metals like none other. It is as if it molds itself after their will."

Ravenne raised an eyebrow and looked shocked. "Without the use of fire?"

He nodded. "Yes, I don't know how they do it but they can shape both metal and rock with their mere will, at least some of them. They train for years before they manage to do it but I think they all have that gift more or less."

Ravenne had to take a deep breath. "That is amazing, then I guess we will have good use of them."

Narriar nodded. "Indeed, they are good allies, they do regard us elves as something close to deities and I think that is odd since we are so different. I mean, to them I bet we look rather ugly."

Ravenne had to laugh. "Yeah, I bet they think that wrinkles and stink is sexy!"

Narriar nodded. "Yes, the more wrinkles the more attractive they are. I have seen some who were unable to see due to too much skin."

Ravenne started to walk behind Narriar, the rest followed them. "On earth they have a breed of dogs that look almost like that, the Shar-pei. They have too much skin."

Narriar nodded and started jogging through the canyon. "The worlds are filled with strange creatures."

They got out of the oasis and followed the canyon over a ridge and down towards a huge plain. A river crossed it and Narriar had started to become a bit tense. This was unknown terrain and they might encounter dangers rather unexpectedly. And it wasn't long before they had their first encounter with the native creatures of this realm. Ravenne was walking behind Narriar and the rest of the group was behind them, the Ce'agar warriors had spread out through the terrain to scout for tracks and the gwhyym followed them. Ravenne had just spotted a very weird patch of huge red flowers when they heard a cracking sound from up ahead. Narriar reacted with a speed that was nothing short of amazing, he had his sword ready and seemed almost relaxed when a huge beast rushed through the bushes towards them. Ravenne had to compare the thing with a wild boar, it was just bigger with a shorter different snout and very vicious looking fangs. If this was a carnivore or an omnivore was hard to say but it was very angry. It let out a strange bleating sound and charged towards Narriar who crouched down a bit and then sprang forwards as if he had springs underneath his soles. The blade was shining in the sharp cold starlight, it looked like a flash of lightning and she had to marvel at the sight of his skill, suddenly the sword was buried to the hilt in the animals chest and it just dropped dead as if it had been hit in the head by a bullet. Narriar pulled the blade free and shook the blood off of it, he was taking his time but she did notice that he kept a keen eye on the surroundings. He sheathed the blade again and grinned. "These creatures are infamous for attacking like that, but they are stupid and easy to kill"

Ravenne stared at the dead animal, it was absolutely not a docile creature and probably very dangerous. Those teeth would cut someone in two if it got the chance and she could see that it had some rather claw-like hooves. It looked a bit like a mix of a pig straight out of hell and a Tasmanian tiger or perhaps a pit bull.

"Are they herd animals?"

She could hear the shiver within her own voice and Narriar shook his head. "No, the females do form small herds while they have young but the males are solitary animals, this is a male as I am sure you have noticed."

She nodded, no doubt about that. The animal didn't stink, that was a small surprise, in fact it had a rather pleasant odor that reminded her of herbal tea for some reason. Narriar shouted an order to his men and he smiled at her as if he knew of what she was thinking. "Yes, they do not smell that bad, it is some glands they have that produce the scent, some of the other tribes harvest them and use them to make medicine."

Ravenne had to make a grimace, even if the smell was good she could not really see herself or someone else hunting these ugly things just for the sake of a few glands. Narriar was almost running now, as if in a hurry and she had to keep up. She could hear that Erestor had some problems with the pace and Vayana was constantly swearing to herself, why she had no idea. They continued running for what had to be hours, it was hard to tell how time moved in this place and Ravenne felt a bit confused. Elrohir grinned at her. "I have a watch, we have been running for four hours!"

Ravenne had to groan, her feet were beginning to ache and the backpack she carried was very heavy. Narriar wasn't even short of breath, he was obviously back to normal after his injury and his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. They reached the river and followed its banks when one of the Ce'agar scouts came running out of the bushes, he looked excited. "My chief, we have found a dead one!"

Everybody stopped and stared and Narriar ran after the warrior, the group followed him. They stopped at the bottom of a scree where some very miserably looking trees were trying to cling onto life. A couple of weird looking creatures took to the wings with cawing sounds and she had to look twice before she was able to determine that these were not birds but some strange bird like bats with beak like mouths. The thing they had been eating was rather easy to spot, it was a dead monster and it didn't smell a bit better than the one they had performed an autopsy on. In fact it stank so badly that even Narriar took a few steps back. The creature lay on its back and it was sprawled between the boulders as if it had just toppled over and died. But the cause of death was very apparent, something had taken a huge chunk of its flesh out of it, it had almost been cut in half.

Narriar was studying the wound with apparent interest, he took a twig and poked at it. "It has been attacked by its own, see? The teeth marks on the bones are absolutely not from any predator we know about."

Glorfindel made a nasty grimace. "So they do commit cannibalism too, do you think that this creature was weak or had done something wrong?"

Narriar frowned, his eyes were distant. "I do not think that these creatures are so smart that they have the capability of punishing their own for mistakes they do. I think this one was weaker than the rest and then hunger just overcame them. This is a worker, the warriors are larger and stronger, it must have been one of those who killed this fellah."

The Ce'agar warrior who had notified them of the dead creature pointed at it's head. "Look, do you see the color of its lips?"

Ravenne and Narriar moved closer, Ravenne had to pull a piece of the fabric of her cloak over her nose, the creatures lips were indeed discolored, in a strange purple hue and Narriar bit his lower lip before he bent over and grasped the things jaw, forced it open. Ravenne cringed, its teeth didn't exactly look like a dentists commercial, and she could understand that these creatures were very foul tempered, it had to suffer from a never ending toothache. Narriar didn't look as if he liked it a bit but he touched the things tongue and teeth and stared at his hand afterwards, sniffed it. "It smells like green roof mushrooms?"

The other Ce'agar who had joined them there sniffed his hand too and they nodded eagerly. "Yes, it has to be, look, there are pieces of it stuck between his teeth."

Narriar pried loose a bit of the mushy substance and Ravenne looked at him with confusion. "They like mushrooms?"

Narriar looked a bit stunned. "Apparently they do? Weird, I thought they were solely carnivores but these mushrooms smell a lot like meat and they are rather delicious too when fried over an open flame."

Vayana tilted her head. "Then it could not have been the reason why it died?"

Narriar was studying the dead beast with interest. "I guess not but what then killed it? Maybe it was sick somehow?"

Erestor was standing there taking notes and he was writing like crazy with his tongue in the corner of his mouth and an eager glimpse within his eyes. To him this had to be very interesting. Elrohir stood there looking a bit bored and Gwan and Magon were studying the creatures strange armor while they discussed its weaknesses. A gwhyym came scurrying through the scree, the ugly little things stopped, panting. "Dead ugly thing, up ahead."

Narriar tossed his head around and stared at the gwhyym with disbelief. "What? Another one? Show me now!"

They followed the gwhyym and the small thing was soon joined by others who were chatting away at the noisy language of theirs. They ran towards the river and there, by the banks did indeed another monster lay dead, it was clenching its gut and its eyes were bulging and this was indeed a warrior. It had fallen into spasms and it had blood around its mouth. Its death had been both swift and painful and Narriar stared at it with fascination. "Friends? I think this one ate of the other one we found, and it killed him!"

Vayana was approaching the carcass very carefully. "Yes, I think you are right, see? It has tried to regurgitate its stomach contents, and the posture is rather typical for poisoning."

Ravenne looked at the dead monster with narrow eyes. "Then that mushroom has to be very poisonous to these creatures?"

Vayana nodded, her eyes were shining. "Indeed, there are some things that cannot be eaten by some species although others can thrive on it. "

Narriar had turned around, he grasped one of the gwhyym. "Return to your people, tell them to eat as much of these mushrooms as they can, and feed them to their animals too. Then run to my tribe and tell them to do the same thing."

Vayana was almost jumping up and down. "Oh Valar, what would I not have given for a proper lab right now, I could possibly isolate the toxin from the mushroom and turn it into a weapon."

Narriar shook his head. "No time for that and no need. We are going to use it nonetheless."

Ravenne and Glorfindel spoke as one. "How?!"

Narriar had a wild glimpse within his eyes. "By feeding them!"

The others stared at him with confusion and Narriar was grinning like a moron. "The plains up ahead, there has to be some herds of Bhilak there yes? Ilhirar, you remember the time we found that herd of Bhilak that had been eating fermented Thogi fruits?"

The warrior nodded slowly. "Yes my chief but why are you talking about that now?"

Narriar smiled, the smile was a bit vicious. "If we can decimate the number of enemies before we even encounter them it will be to our benefit. I have a plan"

He knelt down and caught the eyes of everybody. "The gwhyym can gather as much mushrooms as they can when we reach the plain, thank the ancestors that this is the right season, there ought to be tons of it down there but since these mushrooms grow within the river gorges and in other dark spots the animals can't get to them although they are crazy about them."

Ravenne understood the plan. "You will make sure that the bhilak eat the mushrooms and then you will make the monsters eat them?"

Narriar nodded. "Yes, there is a plant growing in the forests here that makes the animals act as though they are drunk, they lose their fear. We will make a whole heard eat the mushrooms, they we will send them straight into the lap of those monsters and I bet they can't say no to a free meal?"

Glorfindel rubbed his chin, his eyes were dark but there was a hint of a devious grin around his mouth. He nodded. "That might work, will the animals become docile from that plant?"

Narriar nodded. "Yes, almost like they are sleep walking. Herding them will be no problem, we sometimes do this if the herds come too close to our camps for comfort, they can cause terrible damage if they run amok. "

He turned to the warriors. "Gather as much of the starflower herb as you can, brave gwhyym, get the mushrooms. We are going to poison those monsters!"

The gwhyym cheered and disappeared and the group started moving again, Ravenne felt a strange sensation of triumph, it was a splendid idea of it worked and she admired the way Narriar was thinking. He was smart and used everything to his advantage, that was very clever of him. They followed the river and Narriar decided that they needed to rest for a few hours. They were hungry and Narriar allowed them to build a small fire. Some of the Gwhyym came with huge loads of mushrooms, they were big with a flat top and a fleshy appearance and they did smell like meat. That was probably the reason the beast had eaten it in the first place. Narriar took a few of them and put them onto a smooth stick, held them above the fire until the outer skin fell of and they got a nice dark color. He held the grilled mushrooms out and Ravenne grabbed a piece and tasted it carefully. It was indeed delicious, it tasted a bit like nuts but it was salty too and the aftertaste did remind her of good bacon. It was really delicious and before long they were all grilling mushrooms and stuffing themselves with the delicacy.

Ravenne slept for a few hours and when she woke up the camp was ready for action. The gwhyym had gathered several hundred pounds of the stuff and the warriors had managed to get a lot of the herb too. They carried it all in nets made from woven grass and now they moved forward onto the plain. Behind the plain lay a range of mountains and she could see that the skies behind it looked a bit red. It had to be a volcanic area and she swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on her job. The gwhyym had informed them that the scouts had reported of at least two huge groups of monsters up ahead between the plain and the mountains and she could see that Narriar was right about the animals. The plain was almost alive with huge herbivores. The Bhilak were obviously this worlds version of buffalo and elk. They were huge and bulky and had short stubby legs, low set long heads with great antlers on and a strange snout that resembled that of a taiga antelope. She had hardly seen a more bizarre animal and their long flowing fur had weird patterns of grey, brown and yellow.

Narriar looked very pleased. "That is good, my warriors will distribute the mushrooms out over the area, when they get the scent they will be coming."

Ravenne did see that the beasts were grazing peacefully and the warriors were almost hidden in the tall dry grass. They followed the paths made from the animals and left heaps of mushroom mixed with herbs here and there. Ravenne could only hold her breath as she waited for the animals to catch the scent of the delicacy. It didn't last long, she saw that a herd of bulls rushed forwards, started to eat with ravenous appetite. Others saw them and joined and the animals were making low rumbling sounds, trying to push others out of the way so they could taste the good stuff too.

Narriar smiled. "It won't be long before we can gather them and send them towards the monsters, they are up ahead now and I bet that they will bring plenty meat with them back home too."

The mushrooms were eaten, every last crumb of them and the animals became calm once more, and now they were actually absurdly calm. They just stood there, hardly blinking. Narriar shouted and order and the warriors started to push the herd forward by clapping their hands and making shooing sounds. The beasts obliged, they started moving in the right direction and Narriar waited until they had what had to be at least two hundred of the strange animals assembled. He called out again and the warriors opened the horns they carried in their belt and took out embers, lit fires. Narriar grinned at Ravenne. "They are afraid of fire, we will chase them with it"

The warriors set the grass on fire and the animals roared with fear and the herd was caught by a sense of panic, the herd instinct was very strong and they ran like one being towards the forest beneath the mountains. The fire wasn't that fast at all but the animals ran and disappeared out of view. Narriar nodded and she could see the hope and determination within his eyes. "Let us hope they run straight into the groups of monsters."

He bent down and spoke to some of the gwhyym. They appeared to become very proud and ran off, chasing after the animals. "I told them to go and see if the trick has worked. They are small and stealthy, they won't be detected."

Gwan made a grimace. "And us? What now?"

Narriar pointed up towards the mountains. "We move towards that area there, I think I could be a pass. At least we have to try. The enemy is behind those mountains."

Elrohir sighed and patted his backpack. "It has to be at least two more days of walking, if not more, damn, this is gonna be tough!"

Narriar just nodded and started walking again, his eyes were distant and Ravenne knew him well enough now to know that he was worried. She did not ask him though, she didn't want to upset him further. They walked rather fast and she knew why, out on the open plain they were clearly visible for anyone with the keen nightvision of the Ce'agar and the other creatures of this world. The warriors had spread out and kept in contact with small sounds, Ravenne knew that these were the best of the best and she had no doubt about that. After a few hours of marching they reached the edge of the forest and Narriar stopped and allowed the others to gather around him. He stared at the forest with narrow eyes and Ravenne tilted her head, she did notice how his jaw muscles were clenched and his face told of doubt. One of the other Ce'agar bowed his head. "My chief, this is a very old forest, and I do not like the atmosphere here, neither do I like the scent. The trees look hostile."

Narriar was kneeling down, he was staring at the forest the whole time, he didn't remove his gaze from it even once. Then he started to chant, he was almost whispering slow soft words which sounded enchanting and beautiful but yet filled with a strange power. Ravenne stared at him with huge eyes, she had no idea he had such skills too. The song was haunting and otherworldly and they could hear a strange rustling within the forest, as if the trees were shivering and shaking their branches. Ravenne felt the hairs in the back of her neck standing up and she heard some creaking noises that were rather scary. Narriar was sweating and his eyes were almost completely black, the other Ce'agar were staring at him with respect and the gwhyym were kneeling down, staring into the ground and they shivered. Glordindel whispered to her. "I have never heard of such abilities before, he is speaking to the very forest itself."

Ravenne whispered back. "My ada can do something almost like this, and so does my mother and siblings, but I think Narriar is better at this than any of them."

Narriar let the song end, the forest fell quiet again and he got up, he looked proud but also tired. "I have seen the forest and its spirits, they are angry and in despair, evil has poisoned the very soil here. The trees are upset and confused, I have told the spirits of our quest and intentions and the spirits have promised that no harm will come to us but they bid us be careful. Not all the plants in there are on the side of good in this, some are wild and wicked and do not care about good or evil."

The others just nodded and Narriar started walking into the dark forest. The silvery leaves of the trees were still rustling but the sound wasn't threatening now, more welcoming. It was very dark underneath the branches and Ravenne was glad she had such good eyes. They walked in silence and the Ce'agar were moving very close to the group now, the gwhyym too. There were many eyes keeping watch and Ravenne could feel a weird sort of energy from the trees, it was vibrant and vigorous and still in an indescribable way wild and untamed and just waiting for something. She did not really want to see this energy released, it would be a terrible sight she feared.

They walked on towards the mountains, the distance was greater than they had imagined and they had to set up camp again before they reached the end of the forest. Narriar forbade any fire and they made camp between some huge boulders. Ravenne had problems relaxing, she felt that energy throbbing through the very air itself and Narriar sat down and she leaned against his chest, he ran his fingers through her hair. "You feel it too? The monsters have been hunting in this forest too, they didn't find anything to eat but they killed many trees and now the very forest itself is trying to protect itself in whatever way it can."

Ravenne turned her head around, stared at his shining green eyes. "Do you think there is danger here? For us?"

He sighed. "Yes, it is dangerous, even to us. Like I said, not all of the trees care about the spirits, they may attack even if we are friends."

Ravenne just shivered and he wrapped his cloak around them, kissed her brow lovingly. "Try to rest my love, I will watch over you."

She smiled and closed her eyes, she did doubt that she would get any sleep but sitting there with him was enough for her. Slowly she relaxed and suddenly she was sleeping like a rock. Narriar remained sitting there as still as he could so he wouldn't wake her up, she needed her rest. The others were watching over the camp and everything was quiet.

Ravenne woke up to the sound of the gwhyym chatting away at an insane speed, the small creatures were jumping up and down and they looked very excited. Narriar sighed and got up, shook himself a few times as if to wake himself up properly and then he walked over to the Gwhyym which were shouting even louder than before. Erestor stuck his head out from underneath his blanket and grunted, he did not look at all pleased. Narriar said something with a very stern voice and the gwhyym immediately shut up, all of them, at once. Then one started to speak and Narriar listened intently. He turned around and lifted his hand, waved at the group. "Get up everybody, they have brought us good news!"

Ravenne stretched and yawned, she felt so much better now. She had needed the sleep and she realized that it was morning, or at least, what passed off as morning here. Glorfindel was rolling his blanket back together into a tight roll and he yawned too. "So, what good news is that?"

Narriar grinned, a rather vicious grin. "They have found several dead monsters, our little scheme was a success."

They all cheered and Narriar spoke to the gwhyym once more. "They will continue to track them and see how many of them that perish from our little trick. "

Glorfindel grinned and got his backpack back on. "The more the better, one dead monster is one we won't have to fight."

They left the camp in a hurry, eager to get out of the forest. Narriar spoke to his warriors every now and then and she did sense how tense they all were. This was unfamiliar territory and everything could pose a threat. They walked on for a couple of hours and ate some lembas Erestor had brought along, it tasted like nothing and Ravenne hated the stuff but it did give her new strength. They crossed a rather large stream with strong current and then they slowly walked up towards a hilltop. Narriar had his hand on his sword all the time and they felt the dense atmosphere of this forest as something almost solid. It was pushing against their every sense and made them nervous and jumpy. Narriar suddenly stopped, he stared at the forest ahead of them, his eyes narrow and body language tense. "I sense danger, something is very wrong here!"

Glorfindel pulled his sword and then the others did the same. "I sense it too, there is something evil lurking nearby, something unnatural."

Vayana got to the middle of the group and the Ce'agar warriors spread out, their shining eyes made them look a bit like some huge predators in the darkness. Ravenne had her sword pulled too and felt how her mouth was dry and her heart pounding in her chest. Narriar didn't move, she could barely see him breathe and yet she heard him, a soft whispering humming that seemed to mold into a strange harmony with the song of the forest around them, but not with the grove ahead. There was absolute silence and Ravenne knew that this was unnatural, a forest should never be that quiet. She remembered what her father had told her, remember who you are. She took a deep breath, forgot about her civilized ways, forgot about her family, allowed her feral self to emerge from the depth of her soul. She bared her teeth and her eyes started to glow in the nasty golden tone that had scared her mother so much.

It happened suddenly, so fast nobody had a chance to see it coming. Suddenly roots and branches and vines were moving around them, whipping about like blind hungry snakes. Narriar yelled an order and the Ce'agar started fighting. They moved with such grace, with such strength, unimaginable elegance and yet filled with a fury and will burning as fierce as the flames of a dragons heart. Glorfindel and Erestor fought with their blades and so did Haldir who had kept rather quiet through the entire expedition, he didn't like it there and now Ravenne could clearly see the difference between the warriors of Aman and those of Lithui. Glorfindel and Haldir fought in the style they had learned, controlled and determined, Magon and Gwan were a little more fierce and used far less finesse but their technique was nonetheless amazing. The Ce'agar on the other hand almost went berserk, they were snarling and growling and fought with teeth bared and eyes ablaze. Ravenne forgot about thinking, she just cut away at branches and roots and skipped and jumped out of the way. The gwhyym had fled the scene, they did not dare to get any closer and maybe it was for the better, they would have been crushed before long. The trees were making terrible creaking roaring sounds and they sounded so angry. Ravenne had never felt such hatred before, these trees hated anything made of flesh and blood. It was as if something had poisoned them, made them hallucinate and attack something that wasn't even there.

No matter how they were cutting away more roots and branches came rushing towards them, tried to grasp them, smother them, crush them. The Ce'agar protected each other's backs and Narriar was fighting like a mad man. He was so fast, so full of grace and as deadly as a force of nature. Ravenne knew now why he was the leader of these elves, he was most certainly the best fighter among them. Some Ce'agar warriors got hurt and were pulled away from the danger zone by their brothers, Elrohir got smacked across the chest by a huge branch and flew backwards, he lay immovable on the ground and Vayana knelt down next to him, she was pale. The branches and roots were swirling around, searching for something to kill. Erestor was fighting well, he had been a warrior before he became a scholar and old techniques were remembered and put to good use. Ravenne felt that the blade she held was the best she'd ever had, it was amazing and soon she fought alongside Narriar. They were making progress, the strange possessed trees were starting to slow down, as if their strength was fading.

Then the ground beneath them began to buckle and move and more roots appeared, apparently even more determined than before. Ravenne didn't know where the words came from but she shouted at Vayana. "Start a fire, now!"

Vayana obeyed, she had a lighter and dropped it into the dead leaves that covered the ground. The effect was frightful, the trees went into a fit of panic or something, they had roots and branches flying around them and the noise was deafening but the wicked trees seemed to have forgotten all about them. Ravenne saw that the others were able to back away and she and Narriar was about to follow them when a root suddenly shot out of the ground like it had been launched by a grenade launcher. Ravenne cut the top of it with a very elegant move and she heard a shrieking noise that didn't resemble anything she'd ever heard before. Suddenly her feet were pulled away from underneath her and she fell hard onto her back, unable to regain her balance since her feet were held together by another root. Damn, these things could cooperate. Narriar threw himself forward, his blade cut through several roots and sap was raining everywhere like blood but it was too late. Ravenne tried to throw herself out of the way of a very long black root that moved like a poised rattlesnake. She almost made it, the root hit her in her side underneath her armpit where the armor didn't give much protection and she felt the impact as a violent thud. It didn't hurt, that was the weird part of it, even when she did feel the root penetrating deep into her chest. She didn't scream, she found that she couldn't. The root rushed back out of her body, releasing a flood of blood and she coughed once, blood spatter covering her lips and chin. Narriar let out a terrifying scream in fear and rage, he hacked the root into several tiny pieces before he fell down on his knees next to her.

Vayana yelled and abandoned Elrohir who had been pulled to safety by the others, she could clearly see that this was an injury nobody or nothing could have any hope of surviving. The root had penetrated the heart sack and Ravennes chest was filling up with blood, she was drowning in it. Narriar just gasped, he took her hand and Ravenne tried to speak, she wanted to tell him to go on and lead them to victory, to tell him how she loved him but she was unable to. The world was fading from her view and she fought it to no prevail. She let out a gargling gasp and went limp. Ravenne sobbed. "I am sorry, I am so sorry, nobody can survive something like that."

The trees seemed to have given up the fight now, they had gotten silent and the warriors dared to return, Narriar just sat there, staring at her with eyes wild with grief, he was leaning down, removed the blood from her face with a gentle touch and Vayana saw something in his eyes that made her shout a warning to the other warriors.

They reacted, Narriar had just enough time to pull his dagger and aim it for his heart before Glorfindel and Haldir dove in as one and wrung it from his grasp. The Ce'agar warriors grasped their chief and pinned him to the ground, he was screaming with grief and rage but even he wasn't strong enough to wrestle himself free from the grip of at least five other warriors. He screamed something in his own language but nobody seemed to react. They held him down and Erestor stared at Ravenne's body with a very pale face. "By the Valar, I am not going to be the one who tells her father what's happened to her!"

Haldir gave Narriar's dagger to one of the other Ce'agar elves. "Please, try to think clearly. We have to move on. "

Vayana sobbed again. "We can't just leave her here? No!"

Glorfindel had a terrible expression within his eyes, they all suddenly realized how he had looked when he fought that balrog so many millennia ago. "We have to, believe me, I do not like it a bit more than you!"

Vayana saw the hurt in his eyes and she was very wise and able to read people very well, he felt something for the fallen warrior, more than just friendship or admiration. Erestor knelt down next to her. "It is too late to do something for Ravenne now, she is no longer here. You have to concentrate on Elrohir. His ribs are broken damn it!"

Vayana wiped some tears out of her eyes with her hand, she gasped. "Yes, you are right, I have to take care of the living."

She got on her feet slowly, feeling as if all strength had left her. Gwan and Magon just stood there, staring with sad faces. They had seen how Ravenne had been fighting and knew that she was the best of them if you didn't count Narriar as one of the group. Narriar was sitting there, rocking back and forth with dark eyes, the other warriors were still holding him and he was making some guttural sounds that sounded so horrible Vayana wanted to scream at him and tell him to shut up!

Glorfindel swallowed. "Tend to Elrohir, then we have to move on. Cover her with something, we can honor her later."

Haldir grasped a blanket and moved over to cover Ravenne's body but then something happened that made them all just stare and hold their breaths in utter disbelief. Ravenne started moving, her arms and legs shaking in violent spasms and strange groaning sounds came from her throat as her neck and heels tried to meet behind her back. Vayana just stared and made a small squeak, the gaping wound in Ravenne's side was shrinking, with wet disgusting sounds it just disappeared and the blood disappeared too. Ravenne's piercing golden eyes opened again, she stared up at the skies and then she screamed, a terrible piercing wail that made them all jump. They were witnesses to the impossible, the unthinkable. Glorfindel had fallen to his knees, his blue eyes wide open with awe and shock. "Ai Valar!"

Ravenne tossed about, still not completely conscious and Narriar was staring at her whispering strange words, the other warriors had let go of him, they too stared at Ravenne with huge eyes. Some of them grasped talismans and amulets as if to protect themselves from evil. Then she sat up, so fast she almost head butted Vayana who was leaning over her, frantically trying to explain this miracle to herself. Ravenne let out a piercing cry, shook like a tree in a violent storm and then she closed her mouth and just stared at them with her cat like eyes ablaze.

Narriar groaned, he stared at her and tears were streaming from his eyes. "I dreamt it, I remember now. You told me that you could lose me, but I could never lose you. Now I know why!"

Ravenne shook her head, opening and closing her eyes, her hand touched the place where the wound had been and she shivered. "Oh Valar!"

Glorfindel was still on his knees. "Ravenne? How in the name of Morgoth's rotten teeth is that possible? You were dead!"

She took a deep breath and her eyes filled with realization and deep horror. "Gods, no!"

She curled up and Narriar embraced her, pulled her into his arms while he shook and whimpered in relief. Vayana bit her lower lip, she did not know whether or not she should say anything but felt like she had to. "I have heard of your mother, of her skill and curse. Is this…?"

Ravenne sighed and closed her eyes, leaned towards Narriar heavily. She felt her head spinning and she was thirsty and she did not want to even think about the things she had seen. She nodded. "Yes, it is, it is my curse. I thought that my curse was something entirely different but I was wrong, I was just destined to be with a certain someone."

She grasped Narriar's hand lovingly and smiled at him. "My mother can persuade death to let a dying person live as long as someone else dies in their place. My curse is obviously even worse, I cannot die"

Narriar whispered to her, his voice shivering. "Are you sure?"

Ravenne kissed his cheek. "Yes, I cannot tell you what I just went through but the dark angel will never touch me, ever."

Glorfindel cocked his head. "A true immortal, such a rare thing. It has to be both a gift and a terrible burden but I am sure that you will see this soon enough."

Ravenne just nodded. "Please, I need something to drink, and something to eat. We have to move again right away."

Narriar just held her, he was whispering to her, telling her how he had wanted to join her and she knew that only quick reactions had prevented a complete disaster. He would have done it, he would have taken his own life if she had died for real. She just sighed and thanked the Valar that the others had managed to control him. Vayana brought her some lembas and a cup of thin wine, she ate slowly and a strange determination started to grow within her. This enemy was about to face an opponent unlike any other, she bared her teeth and her eyes were blazing. Yes, if need be she would face the queen alone, and then only one would remain standing and that would not be that bitch!


	14. On plains of fire

**Chapter fourteen: On plains of fire**

Let the fire burn freely

Let your courage never fail

Remember what was given you

Remember what you might lose

The situation was completely out of control now, there were few safe places and the Istari were doing everything they could to prevent the monsters from entering the bigger cities. The Valar had finally realized that their entire realm was falling apart and had started to help out and so many were saved by the magical defenses they laid out. But the monsters kept coming and the countryside was abandoned. The death toll was already enormous and the halls of Mandos overcrowded like never before. The vala was beside himself with worry and confusion and he feared that the entire population of Aman would end up at his place if this wasn't stopped.

The capital was well defended by both magic and weapons and it too was filled with desperate and fearful elves. Elrond had sought refuge there with his sons fiancée and his wife and now they were just praying that their sons were safe. Elrohir was in Lithui and nobody knew if he was alive or dead. The communication between the cities were broken since nobody dared to try travelling and the messages they could send by doves were small and could only contain the most crucial of information. It seemed as if the end of the world indeed had come and their only hope lay in those few sent to this strange world.  
Nireariel and Thranduil tried to keep hope alive, they knew that the fortress was safe, the monsters could not get inside of it and the forest surrounding the palace had come completely alive now. Some said that they had seen trees move and nobody doubted their words. Nireariel and her son and daughter had indeed awakened the woods and created a formidable defense. Thranduil was still worried about some of the wounded elves, they were weak and needed good sustenance and much care but then again, they had nothing but time. The hunters could leave at sunrise and bring fresh meat and they had herbs and medicine enough. Celeborn was recovering rather fast, he was forced to stay in bed and complained a lot but Poicano didn't budge, the ellon were to stay where he was until the healer felt that he was fully recovered. Galadriel was getting better too, but it went slowly and she was yet unconscious. Thranduil was afraid that her feâ was injured but they would not know this until she woke up. Now all they could do was endure and wait for a salvation they only could pray would come.

The group was still sitting at the grove, Vayana was working on Elrohir's broken ribs and Narriar was still staring at Ravenne with awe. He could barely believe what he had witnessed but he knew that it was real. His soul mate was a true immortal and the thought made him shiver to the core. Ravenne was staring into the darkness, her gaze distant but her expression harsh. She had made herself a solemn vow now, she would not let any other risk their lives! She could survive, and she would survive. Failure was not an option, she just had to come up with the best possible plan, one that would rid this world and the others of the problem completely and fast too. Elrohir was awake now, Vayana had managed to get his ribs back into place and she had bandaged them and given him some pain medication. He was unable to fight but he could move and so they left the grove and moved on. Glorfindel was staring at Ravenne rather often, there was something peculiar within his gaze and Haldir had a strong suspicion as to what the warrior was thinking. And if Haldir knew Ravenne right he assumed that she was thinking about the exact same thing. The terrain rose towards a low pass and they reached the edge of the forest after a few hours. Narriar was still nervous, the forest was angry and not to be trusted but he knew that they would have to face far worse things. The skies were colored red and they could smell a very pungent and nasty stench of sulphur and ash. The mountain range they now had to cross was made from rock that seemed almost rotten and Erestor was mumbling to himself all the time and making notes. Gwan and Magon was the most relaxed of them now, they didn't seem to care much about the smell but Narriar did notice that they weren't all that comfortable after all.

The gwhyym were scurrying around and they reported the findings of many more dead monsters. The trick had been a complete success and Narriar was a bit proud of it. They spent the rest of the day getting through the pass and they made a camp for the night on top of it. They didn't yet see what was ahead but it was apparent that the monsters had been there cause there were lots of footprints there and they had left droppings everywhere. Ravenne knew that she had to get the complete picture before she could create a plan, she felt an irritating sensation of eagerness, she wanted this whole thing over with.

The Ce'agar warriors were silent and didn't speak much that night, they just sat there and Ravenne guessed that they were meditating. Narriar was probably asleep but she wasn't sure and she didn't want to disturb him, he needed his rest now. She felt well, incredibly so. She didn't really want to think about the thing that had happened to her and she was afraid to really accept her fate but she was shocked by her physical state. There wasn't even a scar and she felt strong and vital and ready for just about anything. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. She ate and then she got up and took a look around. The others were at rest and she knew that she depended upon them to finish this. Even with her new found ability she could not hope to do this alone, she felt a surge of emotions rush through her and bit her lip. They had to find a way that didn't mean that others had to die, she would not have any of that. It was bad enough that Elrohir had gotten injured. She saw that red light, and she was sure she could feel tremors too, the ground was shaking. It did really feel as though history was repeating itself, that they were heading into Mordor but their task was not to throw a ring into a volcano, their task was to kill. Could this queen even be killed? Of course she could, all living things can die, or that was what Ravenne had though until that very day. But she had to try, there were no other option.

She lay down and slept for a while and when Narriar woke her up she was well rested and ready. They ate and broke camp and after having walked through the ragged terrain they got the first view of the area they were about to enter. Glorfindel mumbled a curse that probably was rather juicy and Haldir went pale, Erestor just stared and the others gasped. What lay ahead of them was hell, it was Mordor but made ten times worse. It was a volcanic wasteland, a plain where steam and smoke rose from fissures in the earth, where bubbling ponds of scolding hot mud or water were death traps and rivers of molten rock meandered through the misty landscape.

Narriar just stared and he was wide eyed and obviously frightened. "How in hell are they able to get around down there?"

Haldir pointed. "See? They have made themselves paths, they are probably safe."

Vayana made a grimace. "Or as safe as they can be. Why are they wandering around in the first place you think?"

Narriar was studying the strange area with both fascination and fear, he made a grimace. "I think they started here, there are animals and food in the hills surrounding this hell hole, it probably was enough for them until they multiplied."

Glorfindel nodded slowly. "I think you are right, the paths have been used for some time. So now what?"

Ravenne sighed. "The queen is out there somewhere, but I would very much like to know why she settled here? It is not exactly a cozy place."

Erestor sent her a wry grin. "It is hot! Can't you feel it? I know of several species of birds and reptiles that bury their eggs in the ground to keep them warm, they often use decomposing plant material to keep the temperature stabile."

Ravenne felt a need to do a face palm, of course! "She is using the volcanic heat to incubate her eggs, we should have thought of that before!"

Narriar shrugged. "How could we? We didn't even know that that thing had settled here, we didn't even know of this area before."

Gwan and Magon stared at the mist and smoke and they did not look happy at all. "There is nothing to hide behind down there!"

Narriar grinned, his eyes were far better in this half darkness than theirs. "Oh but there are, the ground is covered with rocks and cliffs. Don't worry about that."

The two warriors did not look too convinced and Narriar grinned at them but Ravenne could see that he was a bit worried too. Vayana sighed, "I think we'd better get used to that stench, it will follow us from now on I fear."

Glorfindel stared at her and his eyes were narrow. "Could it be dangerous to us?"

Vayana nodded. "Yes, but remember we are elves, we can survive even the toxic air of Mordor. I think this is a bit worse than Mordor ever were but we can cope with it. If we were human we would most likely suffocate."

Narriar grunted. "It will still be hard, and uncomfortable. I do not blame anyone if they choose to turn back."

Nobody reacted, they just stared at him and he sent them a narrow grin and shrugged. "Ok then, let's go, the sooner we end this the better!"

They began wandering down the paths and Ravenne saw how their suits changed color to adjust to the terrain. They all were hard to spot and she took a deep breath as they descended into the mist. It got rather hot but not unbearable so and the air was so thick it was like drinking. The stars disappeared under the veil of mist and the Ce'agar looked very nervous, the Gwhyym too. The small creatures were gathering in a single pack and they kept their mouths shut. Ravenne hadn't thought that she would miss their constant chattering but now she did. The ground was covered with a thick layer of sand like ash and it was grey and yellow and orange and those colors were the only ones they could see besides black. It was a desolate land, devoid of life and it felt dark and heavy in her mind. Like it was trying to suck the very soul out of everyone brave or foolish enough to enter it.

They were almost down onto the plain when one of the Ce'agar scouts came hurrying, he pointed up ahead. "A group of monsters, rather large."

Narriar bit his teeth together. "Are they on the move?"

The scout shook his head. "No, they are stationary. It looks as if they are waiting for something or someone."

Glorfindel swore. "Then we have to find a way around them, we cannot draw attention to ourselves yet, we have to go undetected for as long as we possibly can."

Narriar nodded. "Yes, you are right. "

He gestured to the scout. "See if there are paths out there we can use, with enough coverage to get us past those beasts."

Vayana looked a bit nervous. "They have excellent noses, I fear that they may smell us. "

Haldir raised his eyebrows in a grimace."With this stench in the air?"

Narriar nodded. "She is right, they are used to the scent of the land, they doesn't notice that at all. "

Gwan took out the canisters of what he referred to as perfume. Ravenne cut a grimace, she knew what that stuff smelled like and it wasn't pleasant at all. Gwan took great joy in spraying them all with the goo, it didn't smell like anything organic that was true but it didn't mean that it was nice. Ravenne sneezed. "I feel as though I smell like a freaking gas-station!"

Magon got sprayed and grinned. "Better than to smell like dinner I guess!"

Even the gwhyym and the Ce'agar warriors got sprayed and they made some jokes and funny faces but the reality of the situation soon hit them. They knew that this was no laughing matter at all and Ravenne stared at the desolate landscape and knew that this would be the result if these monsters were allowed to spread further, they would leave both Aman and Earth completely devoid of anything alive. The scouts had found an alternative route and they started moving again, the plains were not as flat as they had appeared to be from above. They were indeed covered with rocks and boulders and small hills and canyons. It was a nightmare to travel there, the paths were twisting and turning and finding the right direction was hard. The light seemed to come from everywhere at once and it made it hard to find out where they were heading. Still Narriar was leading them forward at a steady pace and the gwhyym were scurrying around, finding new paths and places where they could hide if they were to encounter any enemies. Ravenne could in fact see the group of monsters which was blocking the main path, she saw that they really appeared to be waiting for someone and she had a strange feeling of incoming trouble. After a while they saw that something was moving through the fog and smoke towards the group, Ravenne and Narriar had hidden behind a boulder and they could not be seen but they did see the enemy rather well and Ravenne gasped and had to blink in disbelief. She had thought that the warriors were the biggest individuals among the monsters but she had been wrong, there were a third type and she immediately realized that this added a whole new dimension of haste to the quest. These monsters were the size of an elephant and they were obviously born and bred only to make way through barriers. Haldir was taking a quick peep at the beasts and he swore. "By Morgoth's molars, those will break through any wall!"

Ravenne took a deep breath. "Yes, they have probably faced so much resistance they need to take the fighting to a new level."

Narrriar stared at the nasty critters, they were extremely muscular with tiny heads and it wasn't hard to guess that they were somewhat lacking when it came to brainpower but the humongous arms with long strong clawed fingers could probably tear even the bedrock itself apart. Ravenne thought of the palace back in New Greenwood and her heart sank within her chest. They had to put an end to this, and soon! But rushing headlong into this was the last thing they should do and so she tried to calm down and think rationally. They moved forth very carefully and Ravenne counted this new horror, she could see ten and she knew that there probably were many times more of them with the other groups of monsters. Glorfindel was a bit pale. "I don't think even the walls of the capital can withstand something like that over time."

Haldir shook his head and Erestor looked a bit distraught. Vayana swallowed. "We have to try, and we have to hurry! Without their leader they will probably just give up, the queen is the brain of these creatures."

Ravenne petted her blade almost lovingly."And I will have her head, believe me!"

Glorfindel almost growled. "Don't become too confident young one, she could be a much tougher opponent than you imagine."

Ravenne nodded and her eyes were ablaze. "I know, but I will kill her nonetheless."

They moved along the paths and Ravenne tried to get a picture of how this terrain was created, it was so chaotic and unpredictable and it didn't feel natural at all. The scouts managed to keep them away from the groups of monsters that were moving across the plain, it was obvious that they were heading somewhere and some were carrying what had to be carcasses. They were obviously heading home with their quarry and Ravenne knew that they had to follow those beasts. It wasn't easy keeping up and remain unseen but the fact that these monsters had very poor eyesight was a great help. The temperature was rather stabile but they had to stay away from the rivers of molten rock. The lava was very thin and was moving like water and Ravenne knew that there had to be some sort of volcano nearby. They crossed a low hill and then they saw the source of the lava, it was a rift in the earth itself, several miles long and lava was flowing out of it like blood from a wound. Erestor whistled. "A fissure eruption, I have never seen one before."

Haldir spat on the ground, he was studying the surroundings with keen eyes. "I see a problem, I guess you do too?"

Narriar nodded. "There is only one way across it, only one bridge, and it is guarded."

Ravenne could see it, a lava bridge across the very wide fissure and several monsters stood there. There was no other way across and the fissure seemed to split the entire plain in two. Narriar looked a bit nervous. "What do we do? If we move towards the hills and cross there it will take us several days I fear."

Ravenne sighed. "We can't do that, for each hour that monster who is the mother of them all is allowed to live more of our own kin is slain. We cannot allow ourselves to be stopped by anything. We have to cross the bridge."

Glorfindel stared at her, his eyes were cold and she could see that he was ready to fight. "We need a plan then."

Ravenne nodded. "The hive cannot be too far away now, if we manage to fell these guards without anyone else noticing it we may manage to get over undetected."

Haldir grinned. "Then we have to move fast, extremely fast. And we have to kill the guards fast too, they cannot get the time to react. "

Gwan had a grin on his face and took out a rather menacing looking gun, it looked a bit like a snipers rifle but wasn't that long and the caliber was rather large. "This one will pierce even the armor of those beasts, believe me! Get them out in the open and I and Magon will kill them!"

Ravenne nodded and Narriar whistled, some Gwhyym came running out from behind the cracks between the rocks like mice and he spoke to them with a gentle voice. The creatures nodded eagerly and he smiled. "They will create a diversion, get in position and be ready to run like hell!"

Gwan and Magon found some spots where they were in perfect position to shoot and the rest just waited. The bridge was some hundred feet away now and they could feel the heat from the fissure. It looked like the lava was boiling and Ravenne could hardly comprehend how these creatures could stand there so relaxed, they had to be very adaptable when it came to temperature. Suddenly the path leading towards the bridge was teeming with small shrieking creatures that were dancing around like they were crazy and the beasts guarding the bridge stared and then they moved out onto the structure, eager to see what this was and if it was edible.

Magon and Gwan had been archers back in the days, and they had been well trained in the use of modern weapons too. Each shot would have to count and Ravenne was impressed, they just heard a short series of shots that sounded almost like one but all the monsters on the bridge fell with a single bullet wound to their head. Ravenne knew that these bullets were the worst kind, they wound expand and create terrible damage and she didn't like it a bit but this time they could not think about honor. They all ran, there were no groups nearby and Ravenne could feel that it was hard to even breathe because of the heat. The gwhyym ran too and Ravenne could feel that the heat made the soles of her boots sticky. The Ce'agar ran across the bridge and the expressions on their faces told her that they did indeed feel the heat too. They only wore thin leather boots and Narriar was among the first to cross, he kicked a few of the dead bodies and Haldir and Glorfindel tipped them over the edge and into the lava. They quickly ran for cover and the scouts went ahead again, checking the surroundings. Gwan and Magon reloaded their weapons and Elrohir patted his sword, he was a bit pale and Ravenne knew that his broken ribs still bothered him. It had to be very painful since this place was so hot and the air so thick and heavy to breathe. They had to move slowly now, there were more monsters around and the terrain was even more ragged than before. What had appeared to be a plain was in fact a mace of hills and valleys and the paths were not at all that good. They sometimes just disappeared and the monsters were marching around to gather in certain places where they just disappeared into thin air. Gwan stared at the phenomenon, a group of at last a hundred monsters had just disappeared and he had an expression on his face that was telling everybody that he had a plan, and that it was potentially dangerous. Ravenne tilted her head. "Yes?"

Gwan took something from his backpack, it was some sort of grenade. "I wonder what would happen if I tossed this after them, just as they disappear?"

Haldir grinned, a very vicious grin. "Try it, there is another group assembling up ahead."

Gwan nodded and Ravenne made a grimace. "Don't let yourself be seen!"

Gwan just sent her a swift grin. "Don't worry, I am not some elfling!"

Narriar was hunching down and he looked worried. "If the hive is close by I am sure it is heavily guarded."

Ravenne sighed. "I am sure of that too, so we have to drive the guards away, create a diversion of some kind. To enter the hive will be my job, I have to finish this!"

Narriar stared at her. "Alone? No way Ravenne, I will follow you and you know you cannot stop me!"

She stared him straight in the eye and then she sighed, she would not be able to make him change his mind and in some way it felt reassuring to know that she had him guarding her back. "Very well then, but no other. The fewer we are the greater our chances. "

Gwan had managed to throw one grenade into a group of monsters just as they disappeared and he came running back, scurrying between the rocks, he was grinning widely from one ear to the other. "I bet they got the surprise of a lifetime!"

Ravenne just grinned, this was good for their morale, but it didn't really matter when it came to stopping the enemy, a few dead monsters didn't make much difference in the end.

The area was vast, much greater than they had imagined and they had to rest again before they could move forth. Ravenne had lost track of time and it felt terrible to know that many could be dying right at this moment. They stayed in a small cave for a couple of hours and when they left again after a meal it was very clear for everyone that this was it. They could not rest again until they had managed to stop the monsters, once and for all. Ravenne felt a weird mix of anticipation and fear, she had no idea of what she would encounter now, she could only hope that she was strong enough to do what she had to do.

They did not follow the paths any longer, it was too dangerous, instead they found their way among the cracks and crevices and boulders and it went slowly but they weren't detected although they sometimes were so close to the monsters that they almost could reach out and touch them. Ravenne was glad she had been showered in that dreadful perfume and that the suit she wore offered excellent camouflage. The creatures looked even worse alive then they had dead and there were too many assembled for them to be able to get away from a fight alive. She was unable to count them but there had to be at least several thousands and they saw more and more as they moved ahead. They had started to see what had to be rising hills and mountains on the other side of the plains when they finally saw the hive and the sight left them all speechless. It was something they just were unable to describe because they had never seen anything like that before.

Ravenne sighed and closed her eyes, it was a monstrosity, an abomination. The sight so gruesome it made her skin crawl and she heard the others mutter prayers and curses. Erestor got one of the binoculars Gwan had brought and studied the structure with an expression of disgust. The whole thing looked like some huge cliff protruding from the earth but it looked half melted and spikes and strange rocks were protruding from it everywhere. It was black, black as pitch and the starlight made it shine and glitter, it was a terrible beauty mixed with horror and Ravenne could not tear her eyes away from it. Erestor swore and lowered the binoculars. "I know what that is, it is the vessel that brought that monster to this place, it is the egg the queen was hatched from!"

Ravenne turned her head. "Are you kidding me?"

He shook his head. "Nope!"

He pointed at the structure. "Look beyond it!"

They stared and saw a strange flat plain covered with a weird honeycomb pattern, there were monsters everywhere and they appeared to be working. "Those are the incubators, they have dug into the ground and the eggs are lain into them. We have to destroy all the spawn, completely!"

Ravenne sighed. "And how do we do that, do we have to?"

Erestor was rolling his eyes. "I may not be the wisest among elves but I do know one thing, if you do leave unfinished business it will come back to haunt you. What if one of those eggs hatch into a new queen?"

Narriar nodded. "Wisdom spoken my friend, truly. We have to kill them all but how?"

Magon and Elrohir were busy studying the terrain with the night vision goggles they had brought, they whispered to each other and Elrohir turned around. "There is a way, an easy way. Well, not easy but manageable. The light from that hill behind the incubator field has to be a lava lake, we have brought explosives haven't we?"

Haldir grinned. "You plan to release the lava?"

Elrohir had a glimpse of sheer madness in his eyes. "Yes, we will let them burn!"

Ravenne took the googles, stared at the fields. "How the hell do you plan on getting over there without being stopped?"

Elrohir looked very determined. "How smart are those gwhyym?"

Narriar stared at him with narrow eyes. "As smart as we are I guess, why?"

Elrohir grimaced, his ribs were hurting but he bowed down and drew in the ash. "The hive is guarded but so is the incubators, I guess that they will defend the eggs and spawn with their lives right? I think we can send some gwhyym over to attack some incubators, they will draw the attention towards themselves and then flee. If someone else creates a diversion somewhere else at the right time it should be possible for a couple of us to sneak through and place the explosives."

Haldir grunted. "That is a risk to take, but it could work. We have to kill the spawn!"

Narriar sighed and turned around, he got the leader of the Gwhyym to come to him and sat there for a long time, talking to the small creature. The Gwhyym looked very determined and it had a proud expression upon its ugly face.

Narriar turned around again, he smiled but the smile was a sad one. "He will do it, they will do whatever they can to create enough chaos for us to slip through. These Gwhyym came knowing that they probably wouldn't return, they are doing it for their people."

Glorfindel bowed his head. "They are brave, tell him that. I respect their choices, and the sacrifice they are about to make."

Elrohir sent them all a wry grin. "Know what? They are so tiny compared with these creatures that I think they can be rather successful, it is hard to hit something that small and fast and we have all seen that these beasts are strong but not all that fast. "

Ravenne stared at the Gwhyym, they were staring back with tiny beady eyes and she could almost smell their determination. They had weapons and weren't helpless at all. In fact they were rather strong since they were so many.

The group crept forward very slowly and very patiently, they had to get as close as they could before they could start doing anything and Ravenne felt her heart beating fast and hard in her chest. She stared at the hive, it was so unnatural, so alien. She had no idea of what it was made of but it looked almost like some kind of metal. Gwan and Magon were kneeling down next to her. "Ravenne, since you and Narriar are going after the queen herself you need to carry a lot of equipment, that thing over there has to be gone!"

Gwan laid several grenades into a backpack, then some packages of what had to be some sort of explosive. "We will split the explosives in two, you'll get half of it. I and Magon will blow up the hill back there if it is possible, and hopefully release the lava lake. "

Erestor was cocking his head. "That egg thing is very large, and it is stuck deep into the ground, I wonder if it had pierced the very crust here?"

Elrohir nodded. "That is likely, then it is reaching the lava underneath this plain. A bomb at the bottom of it should do the trick"

Ravenne cringed. "I guess you are right, but a real blast here can unleash hell, for real!"

Haldir grinned, his eyes were shining. "Yes, but it is a risk we have to be willing to take. We may unleash a new volcano but if these monsters die it is just perfect."

Narriar bit his lip. "Ravenne has to do that part of the job, I don't know what the heck you are talking about. "

Gwan lifted one of the packages, it had a timing device attached to it. "Just drop them somewhere they won't be seen and set the timer like you would an ordinary clock, it is easy. We won't release the lava until you both are out of there."

Ravenne made a grimace. "Oh yes, easy as pie!"

The palace was rather quiet, they had been attacked every night but the monsters hadn't managed to cause any damage and it was rather obvious that they were getting frustrated. The elves who had chosen to stay within the forest told that the trees were actively fighting these intruders now, they had seen that some monsters had been tossed into rivers and lakes and they drowned since they didn't float very well at all. The forest floor seemed to open up and devour the carcasses and it was some sort of poetic justice to the whole thing, the dead monsters became nutrients that would feed the forest for years to come.

Nireariel was more relaxed now that her beloved was home again and she regained her strength fast, she had not yet told anyone of the happy news and she found it a bit hard to even think about it. She had no idea of how her family would react. She had noticed that Meldariel and Oropher had kept to themselves for a while, they hadn't joined the rest of the family for dinner or meetings and she had a strong suspicion that this had something to do with why Meldariel had looked so shocked and sad for several days. Nireariel was sitting by a fireplace with a book when her father in law entered the room, Thranduil was also sitting there reading and Oropher smiled and sighed, he sat down. He gave Thranduil a grin that was both filled with mirth and sadness. "I am telling you ion nin, do never keep secrets from your wife, by Mandos how it can backfire!"

Thranduil looked a bit confused and Oropher sighed and closed his eyes. "Cunarin finally gathered his courage and told her the truth, she didn't take it well"

Thranduil gasped. "Oh valar, that explains why she has acted so…moody for the last days."

Oropher nodded slowly. "Yes, he wanted her to know the truth, in case it was the last chance he got to tell her. He could perhaps have chosen a better timing but heck, I understand him."

Nireariel was frowning, she didn't understand this at all. "What are you talking about?"

Oropher smiled and shrugged. "My firstborn, Cunarin."

Nireariel pressed her lips together. "What about him? He is insufferably arrogant and cocky and acts like everybody else is way below him."

Oropher sighed. "True, he is really something, but the reason is not what you think. I have known his secret for many years and I swore not to tell Meldariel about it, he wanted to tell her himself, at least he found the balls to do it but he did indeed take his time"

Nireariel looked very confused at this point and Thranduil had a most peculiar expression upon his face, he looked as if he was trying to stop himself from laughing. "Then what?! What are you talking about?"

Oropher sighed. "My dear, I am sure you have noticed that Cunarin sometimes are accompanied by the very fair and pretty looking young Caladem?"

Nireariel frowned again, then she opened her mouth and closed it again with huge eyes. "Oh, damn, he really is…? I kind of suspected that…?"

Oropher nodded solemnly. "Quite gay yes, but that isn't the thing that made my wife so upset, she has had her suspicions for ages to be honest. She was just waiting for him to come forth with the truth about his preference. The thing that upset her was the story of how and why he died. He got himself killed in order to meet his lover again in the halls of Mandos."

Nireariel had to close her eyes in disbelief. "Oh Valar, then I understand why she has been acting up, is she calming down or is she still fuming?"

Oropher let out a deep sight. "She is still rather upset yes, but she has forgiven him, with that being said I am not so sure that she will let him know of that fact for the next couple of centuries though. If she has suffered he is to suffer too. "

Thranduil shook his head and opened his book once more. "Well, at least the secret is out, he doesn't have to act so darn arrogant any more, we all know he is soft at the bottom"

Oropher laughed. "Yes, but he will still try to intimidate everyone by acting up, it is just the way he is. Not even the monsters clawing at our doors will change that."

Thranduil bit his teeth together. "I just hope that we will see the end of the menace soon, I pray that those sent to Lithui will make it. If not even this stronghold won't keep the beasts out forever. I am sad to say it but it is the truth. "

Nireariel stared at the flames in the fireplace, she of course knew this very well, but she had hope and she had faith in her daughter. She knew that Ravenne never would hesitate doing what was required to save her loved ones, she was not like the other elves and she had powers that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. The question was if Ravenne was willing to go that far, to use a power that would make her rather feared among all others. Nireariel had used her curse just once, to save Legolas from a poisonous centipede bite. She had given death the life of her would be assassin in exchange for the life of the prince and although she never had regretted it even once she knew that it had changed her. Such power was not to be wielded by any other than the Gods and she just hoped that she never would have to use it again.

The darkness was falling outside of the walls and the doors had been shut again, the place sealed off from the outside world and they all felt a bit like bunnies hiding within their burrows. They could wait for salvation and that was all, nothing they did could stop the monsters and Nireariel had noticed that the calm atmosphere within the palace had become somewhat dark and filled with silent resignation. There was no point in raging against destiny, what would be would be and there was no way to avoid it. The wounded elves were all on the mend now and even Galadriel had woken up and was gathering strength, Celeborn was with her all of the time and Nireariel was quite moved by the love she could sense between the two of them, she just hoped that there would be a future for them all, that this madness would end and things return to normal.

That night a couple of villages to the north were completely obliterated, the settlements had strong walls but they were pulled down and all the inhabitants massacred. On earth the attacks were far worse now, there were more food to be found there and not even the Istari could hide the grim truth any longer. The monsters were seen and the elves wisely went into hiding, they no longer dared getting involved in this. Their presence should remain a secret anyhow and the humans had to deal with this the only way they knew how to. With an overwhelming use of force and power. The modern weapons were rather efficient towards the beasts, at least against the workers. Armor piercing bullets and powerful rifles were enough to stop the monsters and when they added machine guns and grenades into the mix the armed forced did wipe out entire groups of monsters in just a matter of minutes. But that didn't make the problem go away or diminish, the monsters kept coming. They had no fear for their own life, they weren't even self-aware. All they could do was to follow the orders they had been given and so they kept trying to attack everything from shopping malls to churches and farms, everywhere where huge groups of humans or animals were gathered.

The governments were busy working with strategies to stop the beasts and they had discovered that the monsters somehow came from somewhere else and returned to that place when they had filled their bellies. The next step was logical if you are human, to send some sort of bomb back with the monsters. The elves of the colonies had spies also within the governments, they didn't like this idea even a bit. The monsters would perhaps be stopped but not all of them and what of Lithui and it's inhabitants? They worked with an emergency plan now, if the humans really tried that trick they would have to evacuate many from Lithui and that fast too. They could just hope that the group that they had sent would be able to stop the beasts and that soon.

The news of the new sort of monster spread fast on earth, after all, they had all sorts of modern equipment and a small group of elves from the colonies had managed to get by some weapons. They immediately left for Valmar and promised to help out with the defense of the city. The colonies didn't have access to huge amounts of modern weapons, if they started buying such things they would arise suspicion and they had never had cause to buy them either. The things they did have were brought there over several years, sometimes having a lot of time on your hands were a clear advantage. There was no need to hurry but now it was and the colonies were starting to receive refugees from Aman. They could not take too many, just a couple of hundred and having to turn down desperate pleas for help was heart wrenching and hard. But there just weren't enough room for everybody and the refugees were not used to earth and could risk blowing their cover by accident. Many were thinking about the group over at Lithui and crossing their fingers, they had to make it, they just had to!

The plan was getting ready now, The Gwhyym would scatter and try to catch the attention of the monsters as well as they could while Gwan and Magon would head for the lava lake and the rest of the group of Ce'agar elves and Aman elves would try to add to the chaos. Narriar and Ravenne was to enter the hive and Ravenne had a strange taste in the back of her mouth and she knew that is was fear. She was terrified to tell the truth and she saw the many hundreds of monsters that were scurrying around and she could not believe that they would manage to get inside of the structure undetected. Narriar was frightened too but he was also very determined, he could not fail now, for the sake of his people. They had to wait until everybody got into position and Ravenne smiled at Elrohir and Vayana who would be hiding in a small cave underneath some huge boulders, Vayana was no warrior and Elrohir was hurt, but he would make sure that they would know what was happening through their ear pieces. He was going to do his job and she had no reason to doubt that he would do it very well. Erestor had agreed on joining the Ce'agar warriors who were to help the Gwhyym create chaos and they had all been given some good weapons, including the fluid from the plants back at the camp. Ravenne also had a few and she wanted to use them, just to see if it did work the way she hoped that it would. There was a constant noise coming from the hive and the monsters. A terrible sound of utter chaos and yet there was some sort of organization to it. The creatures seemed to know where to go, they had purpose and a plan and Ravenne stared at the hive in confusion. It had to be some sort of control going on, she knew that ant hills were controlled with pheromones but these beasts were surely not controlled thus? Could it be some sort of telepathy? That could possibly spell trouble, elves were vulnerable for telepathic attacks and she feared that this queen could be far more resourceful than they had imagined. This was no mere beast, this thing had to be intelligent. But it did not know her, it did not know her secrets and she would not let the thing find them neither. The safest way to deal with an enemy is by letting the enemy underestimate you completely and Ravenne had a plan already. She remembered the state she had been in during her wild years, the lack of thought, of reason. She had been naught but an animal acting by instinct, it was the perfect defense against anyone who probably thought very highly of oneself. Let that queen think she was a mere beast, no smarter than her minions. Ravenne had more layers to her that that, she was no blunt knife but a well balanced sword.

The gwhyym were getting into position, they were communicating by using some very high pitched squeals that were inaudible to anyone but themselves and Narriar stared at Ravenne, she could see the love in his eyes and the silent acceptance of their choice. He grasped her hand, held it tightly. "If this is the end of it know that you have made me more whole than I ever imagined I'd ever could be. I will watch over you forever from the world of spirits if I face death today."

She bent over, kissed him gently. "You won't, I won't let you. Death is my slave remember? Tonight I will use what destiny has given me."

His eyes were shining, he kissed her back. "I fear what I might see, but I know that watching you set free will be a sight to behold, one to remember for eternity."

Ravenne growled, she could already feel how her feral self was returning to her, how the huntress slowly emerged from the depths of her soul, hungry relentless and fierce. She was becoming this unthinking wild thing again, the predator which never would hesitate, never doubt its own actions. If the queen was trying to subdue her with magic her soul would be bait, the other half of her would finish the job. "Do not fear Meleth, I will not let them hurt you. Fight well!"

He leaned his forehead against her. "Fight well my lioness"

The gwhyym were ready, Ravenne kept her eye on the entrance to the hive, a wide ragged opening along the bottom of the structure. She had one of the UV flashlights in her belt together with some bearspray and other remedies. She would use them if she needed to, Narriar had just his sword and two long slender knives which resembled the ones the Avari and Silvan elves of old Mirkwood used to wield. She was sure that he could do some serious damage with them. She took a deep breath, prepared herself for the plunge. She and Narriar were fast, their speed was their best card right now, they had to just sprint and hope that they weren't stopped on the way.

Gwan and Magon were ready too and Haldir and Glorfindel lay behind some rocks and were to protect their backs. Gwan and Magon had their rifles ready, they could probably shoot their way and the other two ellyn wielded swords and could probably do some damage too.

The start was not as obvious as one could anticipate, it was rather slow and Ravenne first saw that some of the beasts were starting to walk around as if they didn't see where they were going. Narriar was staring and he whispered something. Ravenne turned her head.. "What?"

He pointed towards the monsters that were rather corny looking now. "The Gwhyym have some magic in them, I have never seen it, until now. They can blind others somehow, I think it has something to do with their ability to shape metals."

The monsters were roaring in confusion and more and more of them appeared to go blind, they were waltzing around like steamrollers without a driver and they knocked each other over and the chaos spread. Then suddenly there were Gwhyym everywhere or so it seemed since they were so terribly fast and Ravenne gasped when she realized what they were doing, they just had to touch the beasts and then everything they wore of metal fused together to become a real obstacle, most of them had at least some pieces of armor or weapons and it hindered their movements.

Gwan and Magon went into action, they were making a run for it, with Haldir and Glorfindel behind them and the Gwhyym were attacking the incubator field too. They were using their weapons for all they were worth and Ravenne noticed that they had found yet another weakness they could exploit. The monsters weren't wearing any shoes or anything even resembling footwear and the blades were not big but terrifyingly sharp. The Gwhyym warriors just cut the Achilles tendon of the beasts and left them unable to walk or move. The beasts were roaring in anger and pain and didn't understand anything. The Ce'agar warriors were firing arrows at the monsters gathering in front of the hive and the beasts reacted as they had anticipated, by following them. The arrows didn't kill that many, they just hurt and made the monsters angry and Ravenne took a deep breath, she focused on the task ahead, only on that.

Magon and Gwan were firing in short precise bursts, they didn't have a lot of ammunition and could not waste it but Ravenne had been right. The attack on the incubators was what the beasts reacted to first and foremost. That some workers and warriors got killed was nothing, the spawn on the other hand had to be protected. And so the monsters were hurrying towards the huge area and that was exactly what Ravenne and the others had hoped for. The gwhyym were cutting away at the sacks that were protecting the spawn and it was soon clear that the creatures were extremely fragile, they were nowhere as tough as the adult ones. The contact with the air itself seemed to be able to kill them and the gwhyym warriors were so very fast. They didn't allow themselves to get caught even though the monsters were swinging swords and hammers at them with terrifying force.

The gwhyym were well organized, they would gather and start mock attacks on the beasts, then they would retreat and disperse and leave the beasts standing there in utter bewilderment. The Ce'agar warriors had moved to the east of the hive, now they let arrows rain down over the incubators and they killed quite a lot of spawn that way before they too retreated and allowed the beasts to follow them further into the ragged rocky terrain. Ravenne and Narriar had been waiting, but now they could wait no longer. Ravenne was up on her feet and she ran as a cheetah towards the entrance. Some Gwhyym were running with her and Narriar and she understood that the small creatures intended to help her, she could not deny them that and was in fact grateful they were there. The monsters who still occupied the area in front of the entrance had been blinded and Ravenne dodged them with ease, she ran lightly without making any noise and so did Narriar.

From now on they were on their own and she could see that the entrance was just a rift in the skin of this strange hive. She ran with Narriar at her side and she was scared and in awe of the size of the structure but she didn't allow that to unnerve her. She rushed inside and she could immediately see that they hadn't seen all the types of monsters yet. There were of course egg chambers where the newly laid eggs were tended to and that required yet another type of creature. These were nothing like the workers or the warriors, they had no armor and their bodies were soft and almost transparent. They were moving slowly and they had two sets of thick and very flexible arms with suckers at the end. These were just the biological equivalent of a machine, they had barely instincts but they did notice that something was there that didn't belong.

Ravenne growled and pulled deathseeker, the blade was more than sharp enough to cut through these beasts. Narriar was already at it, he was cutting the strange beasts in two with huge fleeting movements and Ravenne tried to get an idea of how this place was arranged. The queen had to be in the middle of the structure and she saw that there were countless corridors everywhere, some too small for the workers to cross through and she saw that the gwhyym that had followed them were hard at work already. They were sealing off the corridors and she knew she had been right in her assumptions, the hive was indeed made from some sort of metal.

Narriar was cutting his way through the crowd of egg watchers and Ravenne followed right behind him, her blade was just as good as his and she enjoyed this a lot. The whole hive was unbearably hot but she didn't even notice it, she had to do her job and do it well. She found some sort of shaft that leaded down into the darkness and she hoped that it was leading into the very bowels of this place, she dropped one of the bombs into it after having set the timer for half an hour. She just prayed that it was enough. She was rounding a corner when something grasped her and threw her violently into a wall but it was nothing physical, this was a power of a whole different type and she knew that the fight just had gotten a whole lot harder. "Usurper, assassin. I will feast on your blood!"

The voice was confident, strong. Ravenne moaned in pain, her head was throbbing and Narriar was gasping on the floor, clutching his head. She had to break the hold this monster had on her right away and Ravenne forgot all about being an elf, a creature of light. She embraced her dark side wholeheartedly and let her own mind trace the voice back to its origin where she allowed all her fury to become like a dagger, stabbing back at the mind of her attacker. She heard a piercing shriek and then she was released and fell onto the floor, feeling dizzy.

Narriar was back on his feet, cutting down a few of the strange monsters just to awake himself. "What happened?"

Ravenne bared her teeth in anticipation of a real challenge. "That was her royal majesty welcoming us to her castle!"


	15. A ruler of death

**Chapter fifteen: A ruler of death**

Do not fear what's behind you

Do not fear what's ahead

Remember now and forever

That fear itself is the only thing to fear

Gwan and Magon were running as fast as they could and they tried to use the terrain to their benefit as much as possible. The monsters were not that hard to kill with modern weapons but they did only fire when they had to, they tried to move as undetected as possible and all the monsters were heading back towards the hive and the incubators. They did not really pay much attention to four elves, to these beasts they were a mere mouthful and the incubator field had to be protected first and foremost. Gwan and Magon were very relaxed and confident, the few monsters that tried to attack were easily put down and Glorfindel and Haldir put an end to the ones that were just wounded. Both warriors were doing an amazing job with their blades and even though these monsters were almost as nasty as a Balrog they were nowhere near as hard to kill. The hill was several miles away and they had to run very fast, nothing could slow them down now. If the lava lake could be let loose they didn't have any time to spare. The monsters were too many to be conquered by such a small force. The Ce'agar warriors were smart too, they used an excellent guerilla technique and managed to get many of the monster warriors to follow them into the ragged terrain where they could use their speed and agility to their own advantage. They used some of the bags with terrifying efficiency, when thrown at a monster they would rupture and spread the liquid and it would eat its way into the very bones of the beast within seconds. It seemed as though the tissues of these creatures were very vulnerable to this particular acidic fluid.

The Ce'agar were helped by the Gwhyym which placed traps between the rocks and crevices, they would use rope to topple the strong but clumsy creatures over, or throw rocks at their heads and the small Gwhyym were surprisingly strong with their compact physique. Elrohir and Vayana were hiding and he used the night vision goggles to keep an eye on the situation and to inform the others of the development. The Gwhyym were still attacking the incubators and they were moving towards the middle of the area and drawing the monsters with them. Some inventive Gwhyym had discovered that the strange membrane that covered the spawn were rather flammable and so they used their torches to set the incubators aflame. That caused the monsters to go almost berserk, they were rushing towards the field with roars and screeching and Elrohir knew that the Gwhyym indeed had uncovered a weak spot this way. The monsters tried to protect the incubators and the spawn but at the same time they were terrified of fire. The Gwhyym were spreading the flames as they retreated backwards towards the furthest corner of the fields.

Magon and Gwan were completely ignored now, none of the monsters seemed to even see them and they just ran by the elves, desperate to rescue the spawn. The four elves were running as fast as they could but the heat and the terrible air meant that they didn't use all their strength, they just couldn't, they had to save some for the return. The terrain started to rise and small rivers of molten rock meandered through the landscape, through narrow small canyons and cracks, they had to jump rather often and Glorfindel had a feeling of real appreciation of what Frodo and Sam had managed to do back in the third age. Two small hobbits had managed to get all the way to Orodruin on their own, he and his comrades should not be any less brave than them. The ground was covered with ash and pieces of volcanic rocks, running was difficult but they had to. All four of them were coughing and wheezing when they reached the top of the hill. It was a lava lake, they had been right in that assumption and Gwan let out a sigh of relief. A ridge perhaps a hundred feet wide had formed a sort of natural dam that stopped the boiling liquid from spilling over the edge and Magon pointed towards the middle of it. "It is narrow right there!"

Gwan nodded. "It is, but it's still bloody wide. We doesn't have all that much of this stuff, we have to use every ounce of it with care."

Haldir and Glorfindel were still gasping for breath, the heat was unbearable and their hair was actually already singed at the tips. The suits offered some protection but they could not stay there for long without suffering serious injury. "You can blow it up yes?"

Gwan nodded. "Yes, of course, but it will take some time to rig it, you two have got to watch our backs in case those beasts understand what it is that we are trying to do!"

Haldir grasped his sword. "I seriously doubt that but of course. We will watch out"

Gwan and Magon opened their backpacks and took out several packages of explosives and many hundred feet of wire. Some ex-military experts had trained them and they knew exactly what they were doing but they did also know that time was running short. The soil was loose and soft and that gave them an advantage, they had a sort of hollow pipe they could use as a drill because the explosives had to get into the ground, as deep as possible to be effective. Gwan did the drilling and he was soaking wet by now. The place was extremely dangerous, they could be hit by molten rock at any minute but they could not think about that now. They had to finish their job and do it fast.

Haldir and Glorfindel had taken position at the start of the dam, they were blocking the path and both had their swords drawn. Glorfindel were not fond of fire, it made his very being shiver with fear but he didn't show it. Haldir knew of how his friend felt, and he had to face his own fears as well. He had already died once, he did not want to have to spend even more time in the halls, it was an intensely boring place to be for a warrior and he was worried for his brothers. He had to return alive, to see that they were ok. Gwan and Magon were working like crazy, the explosives they were using were rather safe, heat could not make it go off but it had never been made to blow up lava. Both were shivering but managed to control their fear. A small group of monsters came scurrying along the path and they were heading for the dam. Why was hard to tell but maybe they were thinking that this path was a shortcut down to the fields. Haldir took a deep breath and started firing arrows at a frightening speed, the marchwarden did fell a couple of the monsters before they got too close. The arrows fired from his bow were fitted with armor piercing heads and the only problem was that these beasts had such a tiny brain you had to hit it right on to kill the thing.

Both warriors went into hand to hand combat and Glorfindel knew that they couldn't fail, Gwan and Magon could not be disturbed. They had watched the Gwhyym and seen their tricks and now they too started using them. They went for the feet of the beast and worked as a team. Glorfindel was the tallest and heaviest of the two ellyn, he was best at finishing the beasts off while Haldir was doing his best to injure them and leaving them unable to fight well. It was a blood red dance, a frenzy and feeling like none other, time stood still, all that was was the beating of their hearts and the instincts that had taken over completely. Both were experienced warriors and the moves were etched into their nervous systems, they did not have to think about what to do, they just did it. Before long they both were covered with green goo and the monsters were becoming fewer. Gwan and Magon were completely caught by their work, they didn't even look at the fighting that was going on, they had to be as fast as possible. They were so well trained they could have connected the wires and detonators blind folded and it came to good use now.

Ravenne and Narriar stood in the corridor, they were still breathing hard from the attack, Ravenne held Deathseeker in a tight grip, the sword felt almost alive, and it felt hungry. She was going to let it drink deeply before this was over. She nodded at Narriar. "She is sly, as the shaman told us, and probably desperate too. Do not underestimate her, and if she has magic she may confuse our senses, do not trust anything that doesn't feel right!"

Narriar nodded, the strange soft creatures were trying to get away now, they didn't try to hinder them and looked very confused and Ravenne thought she knew why. The queen had to think about the things going on on the outside of the hive now and that meant that she couldn't keep an eye on the inside as well as before. It was a weakness, a flaw and Ravenne had to make the best of it. She started running and noticed that several Gwhyym were disappearing into the different corridors and narrow gaps. It looked as if this strange vessel consisted of layer upon layer, like an onion and Ravenne suspected that the queen was hidden in the center.

The place was huge, but she could not let that stop her. They ran and soon the very structure seemed to change, the walls became thinner and more transparent, filled with holes and crevices in strange and yet beautiful patterns. There was light there, and it seemed to come from the very structure itself, as if it was glowing like some huge jellyfish. There were creatures running around everywhere in an utter chaos and now they saw even more types. Some were smaller than a dwarf, and they had small heads without a visible mouth, they only had a couple of black beady eyes. Ravenne saw that the number of these weird critters were huge, and they had obviously an important role but it was hard to tell what they were doing there.

Stairs or something that resembled stairs were stretching through the gaps between the walls everywhere and she could hear a constant creaking sound of movement coming from everywhere. Narriar sneezed. "This place stinks!"

Ravenne just grinned. "Indeed, it makes orc's smell like a blooming rose."

She was a bit nervous now, she was awaiting the next move from the queen and she had no idea of how that would manifest itself. Narriar was moving like some huge cat, the knives he had gotten from the Gwhyym were ready at his waist and the swords he had gotten were in his hands, he nodded to an opening in the wall they were approaching. "I hear movement, rapid and heavy. Be prepared!"

Ravenne just nodded, she could smell something new, a rather strong scent of something that reminded her of burnt flesh. It was disgusting but she just fastened her grip around the hilt of her sword and prepared herself. The things that came rushing through the opening were not what she had anticipated, she had guessed that the queen had some sort of body guards and had foreseen some creatures similar to the warriors but these were nothing like them. These were a bit like a huge warg wearing armor, and they were terrifying. Narriar swore, the beasts were fast and their jaws packed with terrible teeth, the plates covering their bodies were thick and overlapping and Ravenne did understand that blades were of no use against these monstrosities. She grasped the bags of liquid and threw them, she didn't even aim. The bags hit the beasts in the head, ruptured and spilled its content. The warg like beasts stopped, screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Narriar finished them off by stabbing his sword through their eyes and Ravenne finished a few too. No more came and she felt how it became harder and harder to resist her darker side. Some voice deep inside of her bade her forget about being an elf, told her to go amok, kill as many of these creatures as she could. Her rational self struggled to remain in control, she knew that she could spend days slaying these mindless minions and it would change nothing, nothing at all. They passed through the opening and the room they entered were filled with what had to be eggs, they were rather huge and lay in rows, the weird creatures they first had encountered were everywhere and they just ran out of the way, they did not try to attack and she knew why. It would have been of no use. Ravenne was about to turn around to ask Narriar if he could think of a way to destroy the eggs when pieces of the wall itself seemed to be ripped away and came flying like huge shards of deadly shrapnel. Narriar shouted a warning and before Ravenne even understood what he was doing he had grasped an egg and was using it as a shield. Ravenne had seen that he was in possession of great strength but she had not imagined that he was this strong. He held the egg up and Ravenne sought refuge behind him, the pieces of wall fell to the ground and were just dead pieces once more. Ravenne growled and Narriar had a very dangerous glimpse within his eyes. "I can carry this for a while, she won't hurt her own offspring"

Ravenne just nodded and they started to move along once more. She heard a piercing cry coming from somewhere up ahead, a sound so shrill it hurt her ears and she made a grimace and she knew it was the queen. She did not like being beaten in any way.

Ravenne remembered the words of the shaman, the queen would most likely try to read her mind and use what she saw against the elf and she would not let that happen. She turned to Narriar. "You are a threat to her too, do not think of anything important, just let your mind go blank or think of something unimportant."

He grinned. "I know exactly what I should think of"

Ravenne saw that the walls now were even thinner, and there were fewer creatures there. The place looked more like a shrine of some sort than a place where some creatures lived and she knew that they were getting closer to the queens chamber. The Gwhyym had all disappeared and Ravenne knew that the time was ticking away. She hoped they managed to get out of there before the bomb went off, she still had some left and she dropped one into another air shaft, hoping that it was deep enough.

The air suddenly became surprisingly fresh and natural and she saw that Narriar had felt that too, she gave him a silent warning, this was probably an illusion and she soon realized that yes, it was indeed just that. Suddenly she was standing in a forest that resembled the one at New Greenwood but there were some things that told her that this wasn't real at all. The queen had probably never left her hive, she had never seen the forest and the colors were a bit off, and the trees looked like something a child would have drawn. She heard voices that were pleading her to come to them, save them. It was supposed to be the voices of her family but she had changed her own memories so they were all wrong. Ravenne grinned, a vicious grin. She had once seen a painting someone had made of Mordor, of Orodruin as it had been. She took that image now, tossed it back through her own mind into that of the queen and the illusion came crashing down. Ravenne just shrugged and laughed, the idea of what this place could become was obviously enough to push the queen out of balance. Narriar gave her a warning glance. "I fear you have truly pissed her off now, be careful phivanil, don't underestimate that thing"

Ravenne just shook her head, she could feel that the temperature had dropped a lot now, the queens chamber had to be rather cold. It made sense and she had a strange sense of something moving up ahead, beyond the last walls, something massive. The air shimmered before her and a figure appeared, a creature almost shaped like an elf but with an exoskeleton and it looked extremely threatening and yet it had some sort of ominous beauty that was both tantalizing and lethal. The creature held a sort of sword in its hand and it swung it with movements that told Ravenne it knew how to use it. How could this thing have learned to use a sword? The thing attacked, the blade was a very good one, probably taken from the Gwhyym and Ravenne parried with a move of her own and knew that this was something she had to kill if she was to get anywhere near the queen. The air shivered again and one more appeared, it could be the twin of the first one and it went straight for Narriar who parried elegantly and snarled at the insect like being. Ravenne was very grateful for her many hours of fencing with her adar now, he had indeed taught her many ancient techniques and methods that were far from clean and noble but very efficient. She suddenly realized how these creatures could know how to fight, the queen had somehow learned through the meat of those that had gotten slain by her workers. It was a disgusting idea and very disturbing but Ravenne did not let it shock her into slowing down. She could feel that Deathseeker was just as eager as before and she saw through this creatures style and technique with ease. She discovered to her delight that the exoskeleton was no match for this excellent blade.

Narriar had already felled the creature he was fighting, he had beheaded it rather easily and she could see that his eyes were ablaze with the fever or battle. Ravenne noticed a small opening and she took the opportunity, cut the arm of the creature she was fighting and then she too took its head. There was a short flash of light and suddenly four identical creatures were standing there, ready for battle. Ravenne hissed, it was like a hydra, cut one head off and two will take its place. These four went into a full frontal attack the moment they appeared and Ravenne growled and spun around, she could see that Narriar was doing exactly the same and his technique and style of fighting was just as efficient as her own. They quickly felled another each and then they suddenly had six to dodge. This simply would not do! Ravenne remembered an old legend she had heard on earth, of the warrior who fought a nine headed monster and stopped it from growing new heads by burning the necks when the heads were off. She had a lighter in her belt and she also had the can of bearspray. She had no idea of whether or not this would work but she set fire to the liquid and it did burn, not well but well enough. Narriar shook his head. "That won't work, they are coming from somewhere outside of here."

The fire did startle the beasts and made them hesitate but it didn't stop two new ones to emerge for each one they killed. Ravenne swore and knew that they couldn't keep fighting these weird creatures, they had to get to the queen and do it soon. Narriar dodged a blow from one of the beasts and hit it in the head with the pommel of his sword, the beast fell but wasn't replaced, it wasn't dead, just knocked out and so the magic didn't work. He grinned. "I know how to deal with them now, go Ravenne, find the queen and kill her!"

She hesitated, she didn't want to leave him behind but she knew she had to. The fact that all individuals had a separate will and mind was what separated them most from the monsters and it was also the greatest hope they had, the queen wasn't able to really understand the opportunities this gave. She threw one last glance at him, he was fighting with a speed and strength that was mesmerizing to watch, she did not fear for him. She bared her teeth and then she ran!

The refugees from Tirion had stayed within the cave for days now, the hunters left and brought food in the daytime and they would pull the ladders up at night, It was cramped and uncomfortable to say the least, the place had become smelly and the air stale and thick but they did not complain. They had been safe there and they could survive for a long time if need be. The wounded had all survived, they had only minor injuries the healers from the city had been able to deal with rather easily. The last days huge numbers of monsters had appeared in the valley below the cave and they had tried to climb up to the opening but they had not managed to get more than a couple of feet off the ground since the rock was both smooth and leaning outwards. It was an excellent place to seek refuge and the only problem was water, they had to send someone to collect water each day and haul it back up using buckets and rope. Luckily the nearby villages that had been attacked were not completely demolished and they had managed to find what they needed there. The guards sitting in the opening were staring down at a sea of monsters, they appeared to be extremely desperate and roars and growling were heard like the sound of a summer thunderstorm. It was unnerving to listen to it but they had managed to just block the sound out. They didn't listen and relaxed, eating some cheese while they taunted the beast by throwing rocks at them. The beasts could not get up there at all and there was no point in wasting arrows firing at them, they didn't have bows strong enough to make a killing shot anyhow. The monsters assembled there were the warrior type and arrows were of little use unless fired from a very powerful crossbow. The guards were in the middle of a friendly argument concerning a bet of who it was that was able to toss a rock the farthest away when they did notice something rather weird. A strange blue glow seemed to emanate from the crowd of beasts and suddenly they started to disappear, they just vanished into thin air and the guards got on their feet and stared down at the quickly dwindling number of monsters. They just looked at the crowd that after a few minutes were completely gone, all that was left was footprints and a few discarded weapons. The air still held the stench of the creatures but it slowly dissipated and more elves came to the cave opening, staring at the now peaceful valley. "Are they gone for good?"

An elleth holding a small child spoke and her voice was shivering. The guard touched his sword almost gently. "I hope so my lady, but it could be a trick. We won't leave this place just yet, we'll wait for a few days, until we are absolutely sure that they won't return!"

The elleth nodded and the hope shining in her eyes was shared by them all. Maybe they finally would come to the end of this awful living nightmare.

Ravenne ran through a strange room filled with what had to be glowing crystals, she felt the magic in this place as something almost solid and she understood by sheer instinct that this was the source of the queens magic. The rocks were strangely beautiful but she could not let herself become enticed by their beauty. They had to be gone and she placed the last bomb she had in a corner where she was rather sure that it would bring the entire structure down. She felt a buzz in the air now, a heaviness in the very fabric of the world, it was the queens wrath she was sensing and she knew that the monster was far from toothless. She had to be careful and she slowed down, a narrow corridor was leading from the crystal room and she saw that it was almost packed with some spider like creatures that appeared to have no eyes. They did have teeth and stingers and were probably dangerous and she took a deep breath. How to deal with these? The corridor was probably the last obstacle before she was in the queens chamber and she took a decision, she had been given her fair share of weapons and swords were of little use against these spiders, they were just too many and too fast. She grasped her backpack, took out several grenades and she knew that they were something the queen probably didn't anticipate. She had never encountered such weapons before and Ravenne could not think about chivalry and fair fighting now. She grasped three grenades, pulled out the splint and threw them into the corridor. She threw herself behind a wall and the explosions were almost instantaneous, the entire structure shook and pieces of dead spider flew out of the opening together with flames and smoke.

She took a quick look, the spiders were no longer a problem, a few were still alive but hardly able to move at all and she grinned and then she ran. She was not going to quit before that darn queen was just a nasty memory.

Gwan and Magon had finished rigging the natural dam and they saw that Glorfindel and Haldir had finished off the monsters that had tried to follow the path across it. There were no more monsters in sight and they sighed a breath of relief when they suddenly saw a blue glow down on the plain and a huge mass of monsters appeared. Haldir groaned. "Shit, she is calling them home, all those who are away collecting food."

Glorfindel nodded. "Seems like you are right, the Gwhyym are fast and agile, they will make it. I just pray that our Ce'agar warriors have enough wits to know when to retreat. They cannot fight the warrior monsters."

Gwan clenched his teeth together. "I cannot detonate this before the others are safe, they have to get out of the hive first. Or else the lava might trap them inside of it."

Haldir bit his lower lip and Glorfindel was mumbling to himself. "Rav, I know you can do it, so do it fast! Before all hell breaks loose!"

Narriar were fighting the remaining beasts with the knowledge that he couldn't kill them unless he wanted even more opponents, it made his task difficult to say the least but he had discovered that these beasts had a serious flaw in their design. They lacked side vision, they had to turn their heads to keep an eye on their surroundings and so he used that fact to engage them in a cat and mouse like game where he used them against each other and before long only two remained standing. He had fought terrible opponents before, and he was not afraid of pain, the fury of his attacks made the creatures back off and he just hoped that Ravenne was able to put an end to this, once and for all. He was praying while he avoided the blades of the creatures with relative ease, this was an hour of destiny, it would end soon one way or the other.

Ravenne ran through the corridor and almost slipped because of the slick goo left by the dead spiders, she entered a huge hall which was rather dark and covered with a thick layer of some sort of black substance which almost resembled volcanic glass. Strange shapes were covering the walls which formed a dome, it looked as if someone had been playing with molten plastic, pulling it out into all sorts of shapes before it became solid. Ravenne could hear that Deathseeker was whispering to her mind, it was as if the blade itself was sentient and she knew that she should trust it. It told her not to trust her eyes and so she didn't. On a pedestal in front of her stood a creature of immense grace and majesty, a woman with strange alien features and she was clad in a dark armor of some sorts. She was at least four meters tall and Ravenne knew where the queen had found the inspiration for this illusion. The thing looked almost like an old painting of the evil maiar Sauron and Ravenne bared her teeth and hissed. She allowed her animal instincts to take over now, they would not be fooled by these magical tricks. The queen had probably been able to understand that the Valar and maiar were the deities of the elves and believed that the sight of such would make Ravenne hesitate but she had not managed to learn anything about the history of Arda and Valinor. Or perhaps she hadn't thought that she had to, it was a mistake.

The sight of the creature wearing the armor of the dark lord just made Ravenne even more pissed off and she growled and swung her sword on a slow curve that was a threat. The queen grinned, the eyes were red and she did not look like a vala or maia at all, the skin looked like the skin of a huge insect and the face was too long and drawn. There was a terrible sort of beauty to the creature but Ravenne knew that it was an illusion. The queen was something really different from this, something hideous and unbelievable. This was a façade, what she would have wanted to be facing an enemy.

The queen pulled a sword or rather a mix between a sword and an axe, the Uruk-hai of the third age had often used these weapons and Ravenne suddenly felt a bit like the elven king of old who fought against the dark lord himself in an act of desperate courage. Well, she was not going to let this monster win, she was fast and she knew that every living thing can die. She remembered the words of the shaman and the words of her father, never forget who you are and what you are capable off. She had a nasty surprise ready for the queen.

The monster charged, it moved with surprising elegance and speed and Ravenne jumped out of the way of an attack that was both vicious and deadly. The thing hissed and growled and the blade returned very fast, she barely had time to move out of the way. This thing was indeed dangerous and she knew she could be in trouble if she didn't manage to get the queen out of balance soon. She had to make sure that her final weapon would be efficient, to make the thing let go of the illusion. She saw her chance, ran forwards and dodged a terrible blow, Deathseeker was not like other blades, it could cut almost everything and she span around and the sword went through the beasts leg like it was made out of butter. The queen screeched, a terrible high pitched sound that made the walls shiver, she fell onto her knee and Ravenne jumped out of the way once more. The queen suddenly threw herself forward, trying to catch Ravenne with her bare hands but the elf was too quick. She no longer thought about her actions, she was guided by instinct and where she otherwise would have hesitated she no longer did. The queen screamed something that had to be in her own language and Ravenne could suddenly no longer move, she felt as if she was glued to the floor and the thing had a vicious grin on her mouth, her teeth looked like those of a great white shark. "Do not think you can kill me, elf! I am much more powerful than you!"

Ravenne was struggling against the magical bonds and the queen moved forward in spite of her damaged leg, she was raising her weapon to cut Ravenne in half when a beam of UV light hit the creature right in the eyes and a dagger came flying and lodged itself in the creatures throat. Ravenne saw that Narriar stood in the opening to the corridor and his eyes were blazing with rage. The queen shivered, and then she became transparent and disappeared and Ravenne saw that the back of the room was an illusion, in a sort of hanging structure lay a creature beyond description. It was so huge it almost filled the area and its upper body reminded them a little of the warriors but the head was larger with strange protruding horns and spikes. It had six legs but they were too short and weak to carry it, only the thorax of the creature was elevated, the back part lay on the floor and it looked like the lower body of a termite queen, huge and pale and swollen.

The queen hissed and the legs were moving as if it tried to lift itself from its lair, but it probably hadn't been able to move for years. It was trapped within this structure and Ravenne felt that she could move once more. She got on her feet, the thing was just too huge to be killed with any blade, she was gigantic and the hide probably too thick for any weapon to penetrate. Not even the automatic guns of Gwan and Magon would have done much damage there. Narriar stared at the queen, he was snarling and reminded Ravenne of a wolf, she could see his hatred, heck, she could smell it! The queen let out a piercing shriek in anger. "You cannot harm me, I am stronger than you, my army will slay you all!"

Narriar looked at Ravenne out of the corner of his eyes. "How do we kill her? Do you have any more grenades?"

She shook her head. "Two, but they won't do much harm"

He twitched, time was running fast and they had to get out of there, his friends could be in danger out there now and the bombs were activated. "Then how?!"

Ravenne was staring at the queen, the creature had tiny red eyes and it looked extremely nasty, she felt no pity for this being at all. "I am cursed remember? I cannot die, because death is my servant!"

Narriar went pale and Ravenne just let go of her civilized ways, of reason and doubt, of everything that she had been taught. She peered deep into the very bowels of her soul and brought forth the power she harbored and the room suddenly became icecold and dark. A dark mist formed in front of the throne like structure and a voice could be heard, low and hissing and strangely soft. The mist had formed a huge cloaked figure and Ravenne felt calm and relaxed now. She had won, the queen did no longer stand a chance. "Daughter of Eru, what is it that you wish of me? How do I serve you? How do I serve the balance?"

Ravenne saw that the creature now desperately tried to come loose, to get away from this new threat but it was too late now. Ravenne stared at the dark angel and her eyes were those of a predator eyeing its prey. "That creature, her life is mine. She has disturbed the balance, take her and do it now"

The dark figured turned around slowly and the queen let out a horrible shriek, it made Ravenne and Narriar plug their ears and pieces of the walls came crashing down as the thing desperately tried to escape. The figure stretched out a very long and slender hand and placed it upon the grotesque head of the queen, almost lovingly. Darkness fell, like a tightly woven blanket and a strange light seemed to stream from the monster and into the hand, there was a boom and the room went very bright for a second, Narriar had to close his eyes and Ravenne shielded hers with her hand. The dark figure bowed in front of them and the queens body just lay there, limp and completely dead. "Daughter of Eru, I thank you, this is a soul for which I have yearned for long, the cold depths of damnation is awaiting it."

Ravenne bowed back and the dark figure disappeared with a low laughter. Narriar was staring at Ravenne with awe and he wanted to kneel before her but she grasped his hand. "Now my dear, run like hell because I think the bombs will go off any minute now!"

He gasped and then they ran, suddenly they heard a horrible cry, a scream from hundreds of throats and Ravenne bared her teeth. "They know she is dead now, be prepared for anything!"

Narriar swallowed hard and followed her through the maze of layers and the Gwhyym came running too, what they had been up to was anybody's guess.

On the outside the Ce'agar warriors were hard pressed now, they were surrounded by the monsters and fighting hard, the Gwhyym helped them and they managed to keep the beasts at bay but a couple of the elves were badly injured and others close to collapsing from sheer fatigue. Gwan and Magon were eagerly awaiting news from the plain, Elrohir was still hiding with Vayana and he had not reported having seen Ravenne and Narriar just yet. Erestor was fighting along the Ce'agar and he was really doing a good job, one could almost believe that he was a warrior like Haldir and Glorfindel. The two ellyn could not leave Gwan and Magon behind although they yearned to run down the hill and help their friends.

The plain was suddenly covered with monsters, the queen had assembled all of her minions and they were desperate. The Gwhyym had damaged a lot of the incubators but far from all, the field was waste and the number of spawn immense. Erestor was dodging a blow from a monster and trying to take cover behind a rock when they felt how a surge of energy rushed across the plain, and then the monsters stopped fighting and stared at the hive with horrified expressions. Vayana gasped and Elrohir bit his lip so hard it started to bleed. The beasts screamed, a horrible noise filled with despair and then something most odd happened, they started fighting each other. The sight was indescribable, they were at each other's throats and they screamed and roared and ripped at flesh and hide with their crude weapons. Elrohir gasped and Vayana grasped his arm hard, she had problems believing what she saw, The army of the queen was destroying itself in front of their very eyes.

The beasts did no longer pay any attention to the elves or the Gwhyym, they tried to devour each other and shrieks of pain filled the air, the Ce'agar regrouped and found Vayana and Elrohir and all stared at the hive with huge eyes. Had Ravenne and Narriar made it?

Ravenne ran as fast as she could and the monsters inside of the hive just stood there, staring into nothing as if they suddenly had seized to function. They weren't dead, just immovable and Narriar almost pushed her in front of him. The Gwhyym were obviously very pleased with whatever they had done and Ravenne saw that they were grinning like crazy. She and Narriar came out of the entrance and stopped in disbelief, it was carnage outside and Narriar just nodded to her. "From here on I lead!"

She just nodded and they ran between the mad monsters which didn't seem to even see them. The death of the queen had transformed them from an army to individuals ruled only by hatred and bloodthirst and the one thing they hated the most were each other. Elrohir signaled to Gwan and Magon and the two warriors set the bombs to go off and then the four ran back down towards the others. Ravenne stared at the hive, her bombs should go off any minute now and she didn't even jump when she heard the first rumbling sound. The structure seemed to shiver, then it sank. The sight was unbelievable, the giant eggshape sank into the ground like a boat sinks into lake if it is leaking. The Gwhyym were chattering and shrieking with joy and Narriar bent down and asked them something rather fast. They answered and he turned around and stared at Ravenne. "They have used their powers to create a hole underneath the whole damned thing, I never thought they were this strong."

Ravenne just grinned and she was suddenly caught in a firm hug, Vayana was close to tears. "You made it!"

Ravenne nodded. "Looks that way!"

Elrohir stared at the hive, it was almost gone and it collapsed in on itself, he could see that the four others came running down the paths like they had the devil at their heels. "Ah people? I bet the dam is about to explode soon, we should not be here when the lava starts flowing!"

Ravenne nodded and the elves gathered around them. "You are right, we run for the bridge and then towards the hills, do not stop!"

Everybody just nodded and then they ran once more. The monsters did not even look at them and they could run freely using the paths. Glorfindel and Haldir came panting along with Gwan and Magon, they both were covered with sweat, ash and dirt and looked a bit like monsters themselves. Ravenne was so relieved that nobody had died and that the queen was dead but she did see that they had three wounded ellyn now and they were carried by the others. She did not doubt that the Ce'agar were more than strong enough to carry one of their own but it would drain their strength soon. The foul air was weakening them all. The ground was shaking and Narriar shouted orders to the others, they formed a tight group around Ravenne and the others. Gwan hissed. "Three minutes left, we have to get over the bridge in time, preferably even further away. I have no idea of what will happen!"

Ravenne just nodded, she felt tired and her legs hurt, she had used more strength than she had imagined and suddenly Narriar just grasped her and tossed her around so she could wrap her legs around his waist and sit on his back. She gasped. "I am heavy!"

He turned his head and grinned, white teeth were shining against the ash and dirt that covered his face. "No, you are not!"

The bridge was up ahead and they crossed it so fast they barely had time to notice the terrible heat from below. The fissure was wide and would probably swallow much lava but not all of it. Gwan was staring at the watch he was carrying with a pale face and suddenly the ground rumbled once more and they all turned around and stared. A cloud of dust and ash rose above the dam and then they saw a red line that seemed to stretch itself towards the plain and it got wider and wider and faster and faster and it started to spread out. Narriar was almost jumping up and down with excitement. "Look, it is covering the incubatorfield!"

The lava was not the slow flowing type, it was very thin and almost like cooking oil in texture, the dam broke completely under the pressure and Gwan took deep breath. "Run, this place will be very unhealthy in a few minutes"

They ran, some of the Ce'agar helped the Aman elves when they got too tired and Ravenne just stared at the scene behind her. The lava started to cover the entire field, the monsters screamed in agony as the hot liquid devoured them but they didn't try to escape. The hive was gone but suddenly there was a strange rumble and lava started spewing out of the earth just where it had been. Ravenne had to gasp, they had created a new volcano!

They could use the paths and that saved them a lot of time and she could just watch how the liquid rock followed them and tried to catch up with them. They reached the hills with just a few hundred meters to spare and the heat was unbearable. The Ce'agar ran uphill and didn't stop until they were rather high above the plain. The air was easier to breathe there and Ravenne let herself slide down from Narriars back with a gasp. He turned around and embraced her, kissed her desperately. "We made it phivanil, we made it"

She could only return the hug, somehow she still had problems believing that it was true, that they had done it, that they were safe, that the monsters were dead. Narriar kissed her again. "I bow to you Ravenne, and I thank the Gods for the fact that we have met"

She had to grin and caress his now very sticky and dirty hair. "So do I meleth, so do I"

In New Greenwood they too had noticed that the monsters disappeared and they could not quite believe it, they stayed indoors and waited for further information. The same had happened elsewhere too, the walls of Valmar had almost crumbled but were saved in the last minute when the monsters disappeared and the people there were in utter disbelief. Were they safe? Had it ended?

Thranduil spent several hours praying for the safe return of his daughter and Nireariel was there with him, she could somehow feel that Ravenne had managed to kill the queen, that the menace was ended, but she was not going to accept it until she saw Ravenne again with her own eyes. They could just wait and pray and hope.

Ravenne and the others reached back to the Ce'agar camp after four grueling days of hiking, the new volcano filled the air with ash and made it hard to breathe until they crossed the mountains again. They were greeted by the entire tribe and the news of their success spread fast. Ravenne and the others were exhausted and as soon as they had eaten they went to bed and Ravenne slept for two whole days. Elrohir had by then returned to the colony on earth bearing the good news and Ravenne didn't know of this but her name soon spread through both the colony and Aman and everywhere the elves were caught in a strange mixture of joy and sorrow. So many were lost and the damages enormous, it would take centuries to repair what had been and they had problems knowing where to start, but it would mend itself, in time.

When she woke up the Ce'agar celebrated for days and she and Narriar spent a lot of time in his sleeping furs, spending their time in the very best way possible. She knew she had to return home now, the others had already left and she was very uncertain and felt nervous. Would he join her or would he stay there, after all, he was the chief and she did not want him to lose his position. She was very frightened when she asked him and Narriar just kissed her and told her that he would follow her, that he had appointed another ellon who would lead the tribe whenever he was with her in Aman. She promised to follow him back too whenever he wanted to and she could not really understand how she could be so happy. It felt unreal almost.

On earth the attacks had stopped too and the governments were confused, they had been about to send a nuke back with the monsters but now they didn't have to and the elves used all their contacts for what they were worth and managed to convince everybody that they had seen the end of the monsters, that it had been a once in a millennia event. They had to use some discrete magic to manage that but it was for the common good after all. The world of Lithui was safe and slowly the humans forgot about the whole thing, very creative use of magic and the world wide web made that possible.

They got one of the Istari to open a gateway that lead them straight to New Greenwood, Ravenne had by then realized that she by now had become a hero to everybody in Aman and that she would be showered with praise, presents and speeches and she didn't want any of that. She wanted to live in peace once more, in her beloved woods. She was nervous tough, she had left alone and now she had to introduce Narriar to them, she wondered how that meeting would be. He found the light of the sun a bit bright but she had gotten a pair of sunglasses for him until he got used to it and he accepted them with a frown.

In the palace everybody was preparing for Ravenne to return, a messenger had arrived and told them she was on her way and Thranduil had wept for hours when he learned that she was unharmed and well. Nireariel had done the same and Raina and Astarion had cried too. They had removed all the body parts from outside of the palace and it looked almost like it had but the outer walls looked a bit more ragged than they had. They had taken some serious beating but never failed to protect them. The messenger had informed them that she wasn't alone, this puzzled Thranduil but Nireariel already knew, she could sense it. Her daughter was finally whole, finally complete and she hid her small smirk from her husband. She was really looking forward to seeing his expression when he realized that he had a new son in law.

Ravenne had made the Istari leave them on the road a couple of miles from the palace, she wanted to prepare Narriar a bit and calm down and she walked the familiar path slowly. She had somehow believed that she wouldn't see the place again but now she was going home and her heart was singing with joy. The place had few traces of the battle fought and Ravenne stopped when she saw that everybody had gathered to welcome her. The courtyard was packed with elves and Narriar whimpered and squeezed her hand, he was extremely nervous because he knew that her father was a king and that it meant that he was the chief of many more than he was. He just hoped that he would be accepted.

Ravenne had put on a dress to please her mother and Narriar was wearing some leather pants and a loose embroidered tunic, it made him look a bit more like a normal elf but his height and features still told everybody who and what he was. Ravenne could not help it, she was smiling from ear to ear and Astarions kids came running, hugging her and calling her auntie and asking all sorts of silly questions. Narriar felt how his heart was thundering in his chest and he was sure that his throat was more dry than a desert. He hadn't been this nervous for years.

Nireariel rushed forward and hugged her daughter and Thranduil did too with tears in his eyes, his precious child was back home safe and only his strength of will prevented him from crying like some kid from sheer relief. Ravenne was hugged by everybody, it became a blur of embraces, of kisses and blessings and tears and smiles and she was crying too now, she could not hold it back. Narriar just stood there, staring into the ground a bit pale and with shivering hands. Thranduil hadn't even thought about the ellon accompanying her before she got closer, then he noticed the height of the ellon and his strange and yet beautiful appearance. He realized that this was a Ce'agar and he got curious, cocked his head and stared at the strange elf with narrow eyes. He recognized a fellow warrior when he saw one and this was indeed an impressive specimen. He bet this ellon was able to fight just about anything and win but who was he?

Ravenne freed herself from the onslaught of relatives and friends and family and grasped Narriars hand, pulled him forth. "Naneth, Adar, this is Narriar, he is the chief of the Ce'agar of the clan of the dragon, he saved my life, and he is my husband"

Nireariel let out a small shriek of joy and before Narriar had time to even react he was being hugged by Ravenne's very beautiful mother. He just stood there, almost in shock. "Oh how wonderful, I feared that she would live her entire life alone! Welcome to our family Narriar!"

Thranduil just stared in utter shock, he had never believed that his daughter would find a husband or even a lover and he was caught in a maelstrom of emotions. He was both happy and shocked and was this really his little girl? She had taken a husband?! Just like that? He shook his head to clear his mind and saw that the green eyes of the Ce'agar were watching him very nervously. Nireariel let go of Narriar and he knelt down in front of Thranduil, tried to look as respectful as he could. "Aran Thranduil."

Thranduil took a deep breath, even a blind man could see the love between the two of them and after all, he wished just the very best for his daughter and this was from what he could see a very good ellon, just the right one for Ravenne's fierce soul. He smiled and put his hand on Narriar's shoulder. "Do not kneel mellon, you are a part of our family from now on. Be welcome son and know that I am very grateful for what you have done for my daughter."

Narriar blushed and bowed his head. "I thank you"

Suddenly Narriar too was getting hugged and kissed and welcomed and he got extremely confused by all the names and only Ravenne's soft hand stopped him from running away like a kid. A feast was being prepared and Ravenne had to tell them everything a couple of times until everybody had heard her story and Narriar had to tell a lot too, about himself and his people. Thranduil liked him more and more, he sensed a will just as strong as his own in this Ce'agar and knew that Narriar was just as much a king as himself, he had that natural authority and strong personality that others just bow to. It did not take long before Narriar felt like he had gotten a whole new family and he wept with relief, he had been so nervous and afraid that they would reject him. Ravenne had her own rooms and they moved into them, Narriar didn't have to return home for some months and they had agreed that they would switch between Lithui and New Greenwood twice a year. That way none of them had to go around being homesick for too long.

Nireariel told her family of her condition after a few more weeks and everybody was very happy although a bit nervous. The fact that the baby was protecting her already was something they found hard to believe but she was very healthy and strong and didn't suffer any problems at all. Narriar got to know both Ravennes brothers and sister, her grand parents too and all of her kin and they all soon adored him. Thranduil was impressed by his skills with sword and bow and he even beat Legolas from time to time. He knew that Ravenne had found herself a perfect husband and he was very happy on her behalf.

The elfs from Tirion returned home and Galadriel and Celeborn were most grateful and when they left they were in fact missed, the rather cold relationship between the former rulers of Lothlorioen and Thranduil had warmed up and they had become friends. Thranduil even promised to visit them when things got back in order again.

Narriar had told Thranduil of his past, of the children he had lost and the Sindar elf had listened and been filled with a deep sense of compassion and sadness. Nobody should have to watch their own child die like that and he wished that Narriar should experience the joy of becoming a father once more, and this time to a child that would survive into adulthood.

Ravenne and Narriar was in Lithui when Nireariel gave birth to her fourth child, it was a boy and the birth went very well and the child was just perfect. Nireariel could sense the power in this child and she knew that he was something very special, something unique. When the boy who were named Aradan was two Raina could tell them all that she too was with child once more and this time it went well. She gave birth to a girl and Nireariel realized that the girl and her son was sharing the same power, they balanced each other out. Why she had no idea but she did not fear for their future, she believed that their power was only good.

The cities and villages were being rebuilt, many of those fallen were re-embodied rather fast due to the fact that the halls of Mandos were utterly crowded and the doomsman of the Valar had to get rid of some souls. It would take time but things would return to normal again, the one thing that didn't change however was the fact that Ravenne had become an official hero. She was recognized everywhere and treated almost as though she was one of the Valar themselves. She and Narriar had built themselves a simple hut in the woods and when they were in New Greenwood they would spend their time there. She hardly ever visited earth now, she didn't have to. Narriar managed to keep her in balance and she was more happy than ever before. She watched Rainas daughter and her new brother grow and knew that she probably never would have to use her curse again. Raina had three more children and they were born with just a few years between, she was finally having the huge family she had always wanted and was very happy. Legolas and his wife had a daughter, they only got that one child and she became a bit spoiled but was so charming everybody forgave her almost anything.

Ten years after she returned from Lithui Ravenne had a son and Narriar cried for hours when he got that tiny new life placed within his arms. They agreed that Bheliar would remain in Aman until he was grown up and he was a strong and smart child who made his parents very proud. He did however have some strange talents that Ravenne just didn't understand and she had a strong suspicion that the old shaman somehow had foreseen this. Bheliar appeared to be able to control the very spirits of the land and the forest and Ravenne was very careful and taught him to respect and cherish all life.

The plain where the hive had been turned into a volcano and the area was shunned by everyone, nobody ventured up north anymore and the Gwhyym could tell that the plain was covered with a thick layer of lava. There was nothing left of the monsters and they became a terrible memory but nothing more.

Ravenne and Narriar had two more children, two girls with their fathers black hair and their mothers golden eyes and both were as fierce and strong as Ravenne. Narriar often stood by their bed at night, just staring at them teary eyed and he could not believe his own luck. Whatever dreams he had had, they had all come true and he blessed the day he had met Ravenne. He turned around and went back to bed, let her pull him down to her and lost himself in her embrace. Her eyes were as bright as the very stars on Lithui's skies and they were forever shining, and they were shining for him. They had done the impossible and now the future was theirs to have and to hold, onto the end of all things. Narriar pressed his face against Ravenne's silvery hair and let out a sigh of contentment. His family was safe, his world was safe, his mate was safe too and then he had nothing to worry about and only joy in his heart. He whispered the small words to her and she answered, half asleep. Her destiny had become something else than she had feared it would become and a cruel fate had indeed become a blessing. Her love would bloom for as long as the sun shone in the skies, that was a sacred oath and one she would never even think about breaking.

The end.


End file.
